Two persons, including Phillip Ekeh, who won silver medal for Delta State at the last National Sports Festival, held in Lagos, were yesterday killed in a raid on Okpara community in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, believed to have been carried out by the Joint Military Taskforce, JTF, while eight other persons were.
Confusion it was gathered enveloped the community as it was unclear why soldiers invaded the community. A source, however, hinted that youths purportedly killed two soldiers, last Friday, and the JTF was in search of the killers.
The Ekeh family and sympathizers marched to the Ethiope East Local Government Council, yesterday, to protest the killing of the sportsman.
Speaking to reporters at Isiokolo after the protest, elder brother of one of the deceased persons, Mr. Equity
Ekeh alleged that the Okpara community had been under military siege, as he claimed his younger brother, Philip Ekeh, was shot few metres away from their family house while he was returning from an outing, adding that he was a cyclist in the Delta State Sports Council.
According to him, the deceased, who was resident in Asaba came home for the weekend, only for him to be killed.
“We looked for my brother everywhere all night to no avail. As I was coming from Kokori at about 8.00 am, this morning (yesterday), I saw two military pickups pulled over opposite the local government council secretariat and two corpses were dropped at the cenotaph,” Ekeh explained in tears.
“Only for me to go close to discover that my brother was among the two corpses dropped by the soldiers, he added,” but he said, “I don’t know the other person.”
As the protesters stormed the Local Government Council Office, Chief Sunday Onoriode appealed to them to be calm, with the assurance that the matter was being handled.
“I am meeting with men of the JTF, the police and the SSS in my office at 2.00 pm.,” he said.
Source: informationnigeria
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