Okuama is no more! Its rich history is perpetually entombed in its ruins following the punitive expedition of March 14 by Nigerian Army over the killing of seventeen soldiers and officers on a peace mission to the riverine community.
The community denied involvement in the violent clash that claimed the lives of 17 soldiers. Its Chairman, Ukuama Warri Branch, Mr. Okrika Emmanuel, said Okuama lacks the technical capacity to orchestrate such an attack on trained soldiers, adding that the whole world knows who the real militants are in the Niger-Delta.
In the aftermath of the invasion, the troubled community (sans the Anglican Church and a ramshackle structure by the jetty) was reduced to rubble of bricks, concrete, charred roofing sheets, burnt wooden beams, and rusty, mangled steel rod that stuck out of the ruins like crooked fingers.
In the intervening two months of military occupation, many places which used to be homesteads in the community had turned into thick, luxurious undergrowth of greenery, threatening to overwhelm the ruins that lay beneath.
Although the St Peter’s Anglican Church built about 121 years ago survived the onslaught, the community’s only public primary school, Aderha Primary School, was utterly destroyed.
Scores of panels and poles of solar streetlights were felled and vandalized while the electricity transformer that served the community was carted away.
Gone are Okuama Secondary School, Okuama Primary Health Centre, the “Oguan” or community town hall, the famous Okuama fish market and many homes, hotels, shops and churches in this thriving Urhobo enclave.
Also, the home of no less a personality than Bishop Agori Iwe, an Okuama indigene and first Bishop of Benin Diocese of the Anglican Church appointed in 1962, was not spared.
For context, Bishop Agori Iwe was a foremost catechist and teacher, who contributed immensely to the spread of western education in Ewu- Urhobo Kingdom since 1934 when he established a primary school in Okuama.
A major concern for the refugees in Okuama is starvation and insecurity. With refugees emerging from nearby bushes to find their homes flattened and life savings gone, they have had to depend on charity to survive.
To provide their daily protein needs, a group of men is assigned the responsibility of fishing in the slow moving freshwater of Ewu River. The catch is usually made available to the women folks, who prepare food for everyone.
Many Okuama indigenes who spoke to The Nation lamented their personal losses. Mrs Juliet Okah, a 65 year old grandmother, who spoke in Pidgin English, said: “My son, we suffered lot inside the forest. There was no food to eat. We started hunting in ponds inside the bush in order to catch fish to feed our children.
“As we came back after soldiers had left, we met some Ijaw people stealing our property destroyed by soldiers. All my money, house and even clothes were burnt by the soldiers.
“Okoloba peope had started uprooting our cassava because soldiers drove us out of our village.”
Fifty-eight-year-old Mrs Eseteru Vote, who broke down in tears as she spoke, lamented that she could not find two of her children. She said she lost all her belongings and home to the military invasion.
Mr Emmanuel Okrika, a retiree who appeared crestfallen, described his situation as hopeless after the house he built in Okuama was destroyed.
His words: “I am a retiree. I retired in February 2023 from the Hospital Management Board after 35 years of service.
“This building is mine. All I suffered for 35 years is gone. They destroyed everything.
“In this other compound, I had a hotel with 10 rooms. All my investments are gone.
“That is the Professor’s house over there (pointing), it is also in ruins. My wife’s house was also destroyed.
“It has been very terrible for me. The Delta State Government has not paid my retirement benefits. It is becoming difficult for me to feed my family.
“The hotel was the only hope I had, but you can see it has been destroyed.
“I have nine children. Three have graduated from the university but I have others in primary and secondary schools.
“I plead with Governor Oborevwori to direct that my pension be paid. I want to use this medium to beg the state governor to consider me because it is very terrible for me.
“As of last week when I returned, my blood pressure had risen to 190/100. I nearly collapsed here. So things are very terrible for me. One of my children who attends Otefe Polytechnic is asking for N80,000 school fees. I have told him to wait.
“We would prefer that the internally displaced persons’ camp which they have established in Ewu-Urhobo is relocated here. There is enough land here. I don’t see any reason why the Delta State Government cannot build the camp here.
Mr Ohwotake Otiera, a 65-year-old father of 15 who hails from Odokpokpo Quarters, said: “I live behind the Anglican Church. I am very surprised to be like a refugee, sleeping in the jungle for close to two months.
Whenever it rains, we are drenched. My children are weeping because of the terrible conditions. The soldiers arrested my 23-year-old son, ‘Difference’, whose picture went viral on social media. He was tied with ropes and taken away by the soldiers.
“During the commotion he ran in a different direction and so I cannot say what happened to him.
‘I want to thank Governor Sheriff for working hard for the soldiers to leave. But I want the government to rebuild our community.
“In the jungle, we survived eating edible worms from palm trees, wild mangoes and guavas. We built huts in separate locations in the forest and allocated same to different people.
“The situation was bad when we returned. We saw many skeletons of Okuama residents that we had to rebury.”
Continuing, Otiera said: “All my children’s certificates, including my permanent voter cards have been destroyed. I appeal to the government to reissue a new one to me.
“Okuama people are peaceful. We don’t want any trouble. We know who trouble makers are.”
The case of 80 year old Mary Macaulay, who was left to die because she was accused of witchcraft by her children and community, has left many Deltans bewildered. She was left uncared for in the two months following the military invasion and occupation, in both rain and sunshine, and without food or water.
She was an inch from death, when help came. A delegation of community leaders who discovered her under the ruins of a house near the market, appealed for medical assistance for her.
A public spirited man, Mr Michael Egi, who lives in the U.S, sent a donation of N225,000 for her medical needs after appeals on social media went viral.
The Nation spoke with Dr Kewve Amanasi of the Ewu General Hospital, Otor Ewu about Madam Macaulay’s condition, and she said: “When she came, I saw an elderly woman that was chronically ill with…. peri orbital sunkenness, leg swellings, bony prominences all over.
“I made a diagnosis of protein energy malnutrition and severe anemia. Thus far, we have transfused four pints of blood with PCV of 8%. Gradually, she is picking up. She has hermitiasis. Over 15 worms came out from her mouth and markedly dehydrated.”
Dr Amanasi, however, expressed optimism that the sick woman will make it.
The plight of the refugees attracted the attention of Urhobo Historical Society (UHS) USA, with a donation of relief materials to assuage their suffering. The relief materials include basic food items, cooking utensils, cutleries, toiletries and clothes.
Its President, Dr. Aruegodore Oyiborhoro, who presented the items at the Iwhre-Okpe Waterside recently, noted that the choice of items delivered was based on the feedback from the people.
Dr. Oyiborhoro said: “The story of Okuama is known to the world. No need to retell it here. With their homes completely wiped out, the community made a wasteland, the feedback we got meant the UHS had to buy items as basic as cutleries, toothbrushes, paste, cooking pots, plates, clothing, toiletries added to the rice, beans, garri, salt and sundry basic food items.
“The case of Okuama people is the clear definition of starting from the scratch with not even a piece to pick up from in the task of rehabilitation and resettlement.
“That is why this little effort by the UHS is not to prove any point, but to tell the whole world Okuama needs a great deal of help.
“We call on individuals and organisations to join the Okuama people and government to assist in rebuilding their lives. Okuama cannot go into extinction.
“From our assessment of their plight, the people also need security as they are so vulnerable at the moment, bearing in mind the experience on their first day of return home.
“Hopefully, they will gradually find their feet again.”
Despite the extreme deprivation, Okuama indigenes vowed to defend their ancestral land from the Ijaws of Okoloba whom they accuse of looting their homes and harvesting crops in their farms.
At the jetty, a gang of unarmed youths rotate sentry duties among themselves. They sit around burning logs of wood to keep warm and ward off mosquitoes, especially at night, their main objective being to protect the community from external aggression.
Another group of youths and men is positioned at the rear of the village.
With the influx of refugees, mainly women and children, into Okuama, there is anxiety over their safety, forcing the Anglican Church to convert its hall to serve as shelter for displaced persons.
Treated mosquito nets hung over dozens of dirty looking mattresses scattered on the floor around the commodious hall of St Peter’s Anglican Church.
Some of the returnees who spoke to The Nation said less than 24 hours after the military pulled out of their community, they returned to find youths from neighbouring Okoloba looting their destroyed homes.
They said Okoloba youths fled when they were accosted by their youths who emerged from nearby bushes.
The Vicar, St Peter’s Anglican Church, Okuama, Venerable Abraham Agberen, who returned to the community for the first time, said: “I feel so bad. But we know that any misfortune that befalls a man, he is equal to it.
“For instance, I had 15 bags of garri and 10 gallons of palm oil but they have been looted.
“When you saw me stand on the rubble of the vicarage a while ago, I was looking for our iron box where we keep money. Even my robes were looted by our neighbours in a few hours after the soldiers pulled out.”
Continuing, he said: “The community has been providing food donated by groups and individuals, but we have not received anything from the Delta State Government. Feeding is done communally as foodstuffs received are cooked for all returnees.”
He described the actions of the soldiers as “deadly and wicked”, saying, “If your children are having problems, you don’t take sides with one against the other. You bring the two together and settle their dispute amicably. But in this case, we were made the scapegoats.”
In a bid to get justice, the Okuama community hired a team of lawyers to prosecute their case against the Federal Government and the Nigerian Army at the Federal High Court sitting in Warri.
On May 2, the court, after a mention of the case before the presiding judge, Justice Sani, adjourned till June 4, 2024 for hearing.
The suits included the following: FHC/WR/CS/41/2024 and FHC/WR/CS/42/2024 and another filed by a non-governmental organisation.
Suit FHC/WR/CS/41/2024 had Victor Akemor and 16 others as Applicants with the Nigerian Army as the respondent.
Suit FHC/WR/CS/42/2024 had Professor Arthur Ekpekpo, Mr Bernard Esegba and Mr James Oghohoko as applicants, with the Federal Government, the Chief of Defence Staff and others as respondents.
In Suit FHC/WR/CS/41/2024, the applicants, through their lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo in their application, sought the order of the court for 15 prayers which include “an award of one billion naira against the respondent as “exemplary damage” in favour of the Okuama community.
The internally displaced persons (IDP) camp which was established upland in Ewu-Urhobo is generating controversy among Okuama indigenes and Delta government. While government wants Okuama indigenes to enroll into camp, Okuama people want the IDP camp relocated to Okuama.
There was a deadlock at a meeting of May 18 between Okuama indigenes and Abraham Ogbodo led IDP camp management committee.
The IDP camp has been largely ignored by Okuama indigenes, who prefer that the camp is relocated to Okuama rather than Otor Ewu.
Secretary General of Okuama community, Mr Bernard Esegba, said the opinions of his people were not sought or that any of his kinsmen were appointed members the IDP committee.
He expressed concern that their Ijaw neighbours were desperate to take over their ancestral land after the looting of their community and farms.
His words: “Not up to 48 hours after the military vacated Okuama, Okoloba youths invaded our community, looting burglary proofs, beds, doors and other valuables
“None of Okuama indigenes was included among the management committee for IDP. We sent a petition to the government expressing our ideas, but we were ignored.”
He expressed doubt that Okuama indigenes who had large tracts of cassava farms under cultivation would abandon their farms for the IDP camp, urging the government to relocate the camp to Okuama.
He said with the imminent heavy flooding of their farmlands, Okuama indigenes want to quickly harvest their crops before the rains set in.
Chairman, Okuama IDP Management Committee, Abraham Ogbodo, urged them to take advantage of the opportunity presented to them to enroll in the camp for the next six months while plans to rebuild their community are kick started.
He assured that Okuama lands alleged to have been taken over by Okoloba would be returned and Okuama would be protected.
He said: “Your fear that your community land will be taken over is legitimate, but your stay in Okuama believing that you can defend it is not entirely true.
“I know protecting your ancestral homestead is a priority, but I advocate negotiated peace and not forced peace. I can assure you that your welfare is the utmost priority of the government.”
Acting Chairman, Ughelli South LGA, Chief Austin Emaduku, said the lingering security situation has constrained government’s decision to site the IDP camp in Ewu- Urhobo and appealed to the refugees to come to camp.
While the stalemate between Delta government and Okuama community lingers, the scale of human suffering at Okuama is dire and there is a compelling need for urgent action.
