A leader of Okuama-Ewu community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, where a militant gang allegedly led by on ‘General’ Endurance Amagbein killed 17 military personnel on March 14, has insisted that the tragic incident was related to oil bunkering and had nothing to do with his community, according to Vanguard.
He also debunked the narrative that Okuama community invited the runaway militant leader to fight on its behalf against Okoloba, an Ijaw community in the state, with which it had a land dispute that had escalated into a combative clash.
In the aftermath of the deadly attack on the soldiers, the Defense Headquarters had on March 28 declared Amagbein and seven others wanted.
Besides denying any link between his community and Amagbein, the community leader, who fielded questions from Vanguard on the incident, stressed that the military hierarchy knows that the tragic incident had everything to do with oil bunkering, a business that the military acknowledged Amagbein was involved in, noting that Okuama residents, including the youths, are poor farmers with no connection to oil bunkering.
According to the community leader, Amagbein has no relationship with Okuama either paternally or maternally, “Therefore, we do not know anybody called Amagbein in Okuama-Ewu and did not invite him to our community at any time. Amagbein did not come to Okuama-Ewu.
“The Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) knows it is an oil bunkering matter, and Amagbein attacked his men. Okuama people do not have a hand in the killing of the soldiers or inviting Amagbein."