Military Operation Crocodile Smile II Shut Down Edo State, Burn Down Houses, Wreak Havoc Right Under Oshiomhole Nose.
It was a tale of woes and anguish for residents of the riverine Ajakurama community, near the Egbema Kingdom, in the Ovia South West Council Area of Edo State, as soldiers razed down 15 houses in the area.
It was gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday, as the residents of the area fled for their lives.
[irp]
All efforts made to contact the former Governor of the State, Adams Oshiomhole, who is a respected chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, proved abortive.
Investigations revealed that the Soldiers said to be men of the Operation Crocodile Smile II, had stormed the community in nine gunboats and several speedboats, in search of suspected kidnappers.
It was alleged that the Soldiers were called into Ajakurama community, at about 8:00 a,m by an ex-Militant General identified as Ejuene Peres, to settle old scores against those perceived to be his arch enemies.
However, Peres in his reaction said he never invited Soldiers to the community, stressing that he only petitioned some persons in the community before the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who referred the matter to the AIG Zone 5, Benin, for proper investigation over the alleged destruction of his house.
He said: “I did not invite any Soldiers, I did not make any arrangement with any Soldier to enter into Ajakurama; Ajakurama is a community on its own. It is a Nigerian community; Soldiers can go to Ajakurama for any of their investigations. If Soldiers went to Ajakurama community, they should not call me.
[irp]
I did not invite Soldiers to Ajakurama; people who offended me, I wrote a petition to the IGP, and the IGP recommended the petition to the AIG.
“The AIG invited them, so they should go and answer the AIG who is still waiting for them. So, if anything happens to them, I do not know where they have put their hands, I have no hand in the Ajakurama matter.
“They should ask the Federal Government How Soldiers came to Ajakurama, they should ask Abuja, they should ask Zone 5; they should ask Operation Crocodile in Warri, why they are in Ajakurama.”
It was learnt that the family of the said Peres had a previous case involving the alleged murder of a community leader from another household in the same area.
[irp]
The source stated that family members of the deceased community leader had taken the corpse discovered to be floating in a nearby village river to the residential family building of Mr. Peres, which lasted for over one week.
Elders and residents of the community were said to have called for a truce and buried the man while the case was pending at the office of the AIG Zone 5 in Benin.
Further findings showed the said Peres in a bid to avenge the old vexed issue in which his father was alleged fingered, invited the Soldiers.
The source also alleged that Peres had personally led the Soldiers to point at the houses of the perceived enemies, before they destroyed the buildings.
According to the source that preferred being anonymous, the invasion which took residents by surprise was allegedly on the invitation of the Military, by ex-Militant General, Ejuene Peres, under the pretext of searching for kidnappers.
[irp]
The source noted that the said Peres used the Military invasion to settle old scores which he had with some persons in the community, who fingered his family over the death of the community leader.
“He (Peres) brought in Military men to invade the community of some selected persons. They came in 9 gunboats and several speedboats. People started running for their lives. He was with the Soldiers pointing at houses, while the Soldiers set houses ablaze”
“He listed among other victims whose houses were affected as, Chief Godwin Namu, Baba Agbuke, aka Zion, and all ExMilitant leaders.”
The source added that inhabitants of the community are peaceful people, and wondered why such invasion could be carried out by the Military without proper investigation.
It was also gathered that the Soldiers on arrival switched off the GSM communications mast located within the area, to prevent any contact with people outside the community.
[irp]
