Mike Ejiofor, a former director of the Department of State Services (DSS), has called for an impartial investigation into the deaths of 17 military personnel in the Okuama community in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State. He claims that an unbiased investigation will implicate a number of significant figures.
Ejiofor made the remarks on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program. He questioned why 13 military troops, including a captain, two majors, and a lieutenant colonel, would be sent to settle a land issue.
The former Director proposed that the Federal Government establish a “high-powered, independent investigation” to determine the rationale for sending 17 military troops, including the 181 Amphibious Battalion’s Commanding Officer, on a peacekeeping mission to the
“The federal or state government should set up this or harmonise: the state government brings representatives, the federal government brings representatives to form a very high-powered, independent investigation that will come up with an objective report of what happened because as it is now, people are scampering, some people that might be indicted in this investigation, because a lieutenant colonel, two majors cannot on their own just move out on a peace-keeping mission in a community.
“There is so much to this incident that must be found out.
“The military is a party interested; they cannot undertake such an investigation.
“By now, the Federal Government or the state government must have set up an investigative panel to look into this matter because time is running out.
”We need to get to the root of this matter to know what really happened,” he said.
Ejiofor went on to say that the military ought to assign Police and DSS agents to such civilian tasks in future operations.
He said, “If there is a peacekeeping, two parties must be involved; people from the two communities must be involved and a neutral ground will be taken, possibly the local government headquarters, if you are talking of peace initiative.
