Many people were injured while a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church
of God was shot dead by soldiers the in Opuraja community of Okpe Local
Government Area in Delta State on Tuesday.
The incident occurred when the soldiers, led by a Captain, arrived in
two Hilux vans to conduct investigation in the community; however, they
were mobbed by the villagers, who misconstrued their motive. As a result
shots were fired into the air to scare off the surging villagers.
According to eyewitnesses: “I saw the soldiers, they came to the
community, asking for the chairman of the community and vigilante
leader. They told them that there was robbery incident on Warri/Sapele
expressway and asked them to reveal the identity of the person who owns
the farm from which the bandits collected the wood they used to
barricade the road.
“They told the soldiers that none of the community people owns farm
there, but the military men accused them of not doing their job
effectively. We saw the soldiers carry them away in their Hilux van and
drove to the expressway, where they tied them against their vehicles
until it was 6am.
“The youths mobilised and went to the scene where the community leaders
were tied and when the army saw the crowd approaching, they started
shooting indiscriminately...
“A group of soldiers in another Hilux van apparently
heard the gunshots and rushed to the scene, that was how the pastor, who
was standing by was shot and he died immediately.”
Confirming the report, the Orodje of Okpe kingdom, HRM, Mujakperuo Orhue
1, a retired army officer, said he is disappointment over the incident,
adding that the soldiers should not have fired at unarmed citizens.
He was said to have waded into the matter to calm frayed nerves after the fracas.
A former Minister of Information, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, who is from the
community, also confirmed that one person was killed and some others
were injured.
The late pastor was married with four children. So sad!