Top riddles in the investigations, 22 days after
By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South
Clearing the air on the mastermind
The Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa, finally cleared the lingering suspicion on who killed the Commanding Officer of the 181 Amphibious Battalion, two majors, one captain, and 13 soldiers on March 14 at Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State, on Wednesday.
General Musa identified “General” Endurance Amagbein as the kingpin in an interview with the Arise News.
His words: “He is actually the mastermind. He is the one who actually planned and executed with his boys. You know they have a lot of issues with cultism within the general area. And again, like I always say, because they were making money illegally, they feel that they are above board, they have so much money that they can do whatever and buy whoever it is that they can.
“But that is one mistake they made. I think they have tried the wrong guys And this time around, the full weight of the law is coming after him and his team.”
When the Defense Headquarters, DHQ, Abuja, declared eight people wanted on Thursday, March 28, Akevwru Daniel Omotegbono, aka Amagbem, was the first on the list.
Fact-checking by Saturday Vanguard showed that Amagbein is one of the monikers of a well-known Bayelsa-based militant leader and oil bunker, also addressed as “Lord of the River”, but he is not known to bear Akevwru Daniel Omotegbono.
Akevwru Daniel Omotegbono is a youth leader of the Okuama community, and people do not know him as Amagbem or Amagbein.
However, the DHQ on the wanted list snapshot display had the picture of Amagbein, not Akevwru Daniel Omotegbono.
By identifying the mastermind as “General,” Endurance Amagbein, the CDS, tore apart the vagueness the Army created in the first instance with the eight-man wanted-person list.
However, Amagbein is not his last name but a moniker, as stated earlier, the Army now has correctly stated his first name, Endurance, but not yet his surname.
The “General” has a collection known as the ‘Amagbein Force’, a group of militants and oil thieves spread across Delta, Bayelsa, and Rivers States. He is not a pushover militant but a dominant militant leader and crude oil bunker.
The creation of the ‘Amagbein Force’ is to protect and control Amagbein’s sphere of influence spread along the creeks and waterways of the three states, and act as an enforcer to instill fear in the way of those opposed to its activities.
Despite the initial muddling of his identity, it was fathomable that he was the one the Army had in mind, as they tracked him to his base at Igbomoturu in Southern-Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, barely three days after the bloodbath of March 14.
Who summoned Amagbein to Okuama?
Having referred to him as the mastermind of the massacre, some questions begging for answers are: Who invited Amagbein to Okuama? How did he and his boys materialize in Okuama at the very time the soldiers, reportedly on a peace mission, were on the waterside, about to proceed to Bomadi with the chair of the community, and other leaders on their tow? Was Amagbein secretly conniving with some Okuama people unknown to the leaders and community folks?
Knowing and understanding the role of Amagbein in the entire episode is the key to resolving why those who “wasted” the soldiers did so.
Unarguably, if Amagbem and his boys executed the lawless act, there must be a motive, and investigators must unravel the motive to untie the puzzle.
Was it because the Commanding Officer was stepping on his bunkering territories and they were desperate to stop him?
Or did one of the warring communities hire him as a mercenary to fight on its side, and he went overboard in the process?
It is open to question that, given the training and capacity of the Nigerian Army, amateur youths of Okuama would not have the ability to overrun a lieutenant colonel, two majors, one captain, and 13 soldiers. Extremely far from certain.
CDS Musa elimination theory
Not long ago, General Musa confirmed that they (killers) killed the 17 soldiers while trying to end oil bunkering in the Delta.
He said the Army had identified the person responsible for the attack and killing of the troops, which had embarked on a peace mission to the Okuama community and was following up on the suspected culprit.
His words: “We know who did this; we are following up with him, and it is just a matter of time. We are sure we are going to get him. I know him, the C.O himself, Lt. Colonel Ali, of recent, because we were emphasizing that we want the oil production of Nigeria to increase so that we will be able to have enough foreign exchange, then things can go down because we all know the challenges we are going through.”
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