Soldiers Shoot At Random In Oporoza, Warri, Delta State

WARRI- SOLDIERS, who laid siege to Oporoza community, traditional

headquarters of Gbaramatu kingdom, Warri South-West Local

Government Area, Delta State, at 1.52 am, started shooting

indiscriminately at about 8.44 am, causing more confusion in the

riverine town.

Villagers, who ran into the forest on sighting them with gunboats

were yet to return, as soldiers, who came in search of ex-militant

leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, and members of

the Niger Delta Avengers, have taken over the community.

Ijaw leader, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, told Vanguard on phone

at about 9.00 am: “Soldiers have started shooting in Oporoza as I

speak to you now, I do not know the casualty, but they are shooting

right now, the whole town is in turmoil.”

His words: “I am crying on behalf of my people, we have been saying

before now that we do not know what the military is looking for in

Oporoza, they have come two times before now in the last few weeks.

We said then that they were looking for excuse to start shooting, now

they are shooting, we do not know what will happen after the

shooting.”

National President of Ijaw People’s Development Initiative, Mr.

Austin Ozobo, also raised the alarm that soldiers were shooting in

Oporoza and called on the Federal Government to call the soldiers

to order.

A villager, who called our reporter on phone, said: “The military is

currently shooting randomly in Oporoza but we do not know whether

it was aimed at anybody because we are still in the forest. We ran

into the forest this morning.