Bloodbath In Oleh, Residents Cry Out To Buhari, Okowa

TRAGEDY struck, yesterday, as no fewer than nine persons were murdered in cold blood in Oleh, Isoko South Council of Delta State. The unfortunate incident, believed to have been masterminded by assailants from the neighbouring Ozoro town, on Friday, threw Oleh residents into deep mourning.

Rights activist, Dr. Ogaga Ifowodo, in a statement, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to act swiftly to prevent needless bloodbath, an unmanageable refugee situation and the general horrors associated with wars and civil unrest. He also called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the murderers and their abettors. He noted: “They must face the full wrath of the law for not only their complete disregard for human life but also for scorning the courts of law where the dispute over which they have committed multiple murders is already being litigated. “Oleh is well- known as a peace- loving community, home to all Isokos ever since it was the original headquarters of the old Isoko Division of Mid- West State. Oleh does not have land disputes with her other neighbours — Olomoro, Emede and Irri, with whom she shares virtually merged boundaries.

“I also call on the leaders of Ozoro community to make peace and good neighbourliness their watchword. Above all, to prove their bona fides and love of justice by fishing out those among them who committed cold- blooded murders and surrendering them to justice. There can be no amount of land worth the lives of the 9 human beings brutally murdered nor the bloodbath and unmitigated human suffering that result from war.”