Evelyn Edjekota, a 45-year-old mother of seven who was stranded inside a bush, described to reporters the circumstances surrounding the tragic event that resulted in the deaths of 17 Nigerian soldiers.
She described how the troops invaded their village that fateful day and asked to meet the leader of the town while she was on her farm.
She said the troops intended to take their leaders into custody without revealing their reasons. She said the troops opened fire on them as they tried to beg.
She said that the troops’ deaths were not the result of any involvement on the part of the Okuama villagers, adding that a group of attackers arrived on boats and opened fire on both the military and the locals, killing several.
She asserted, “We told them that our chairman had gone to the farm, and two leaders called him from the farm. We then entertained them before our chairman came.”
“They said they wanted to go with our chairman and leaders. We inquired why they would arrest them.”
“Other women and I resisted and held them on the legs and were pleading; they said if we resisted, they would shoot; the next thing was fire; I did not even know how I escaped.”
“They shot many people instantly. Later on, other boats came from the Bomadi axis of the river and opened fire on the people at the jetty, including the army.”
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