How Nigeria military gundown my grandfather – Warri Base Journalist

It was a tragic and scary moment when I experienced how Nigeria military visited my home town, Ayakoromo Federated Community, in Burutu Local Government Area, Delta State on the 3rd of December, 2010.

It was learnt that the military visitation was not for the community specifically, but for John Togo, the Leader of Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) a group that did not join the government’s 2009 amnesty program and gang that had camp at the closest creeks, which was 3 miles away from Ayakoromo community.

I myself, Yeigagha Solomon, witnessed the gun-ships when they drove into the community’s river and anchored at a nearby shore.

Meanwhile, the community chairman, Ogurugu Disi, and his excos was unceasingly encouraging residents not to flee. Threatening that, “If anyone abscond, he or she will not be allowed into the community untill further notice.”

I can attest that no one could pack out of the community, but there was great anxiety in the faces of the people.

Subsequently, I started to perceive strange sounds through the air and from the water banks, I blinked my eyes towards the sky; I saw jet fighters in helicopter dropping bombs, and I was marvelled to see uncountable military personnels that trooped into the community from their gun-ships maltreating young and old men of their 60s and in captive they included the women of the community.

Sporadically, Ayakoromo community was bombarded. Gun fire everywhere, men left their children, and women with two couldn’t afford to lose all. Hence, they intentionally left one to make sure they lost less and saved more lives.

It was a scary moment, so I left my siblings, grandfather, and relatives to the forest. In the forest, I was still troubled with the soundtracks of guns I knew not.

At about 12:40am in the night, I took a bold step by returning home, but what I saw was fire throughout, along side death bodies. Residents were seriously wailing that all properties had been burnt down, people were crying for relations they lost as a result of the massacre, while some consoling mourners. Casualties were everywhere.

I asked; “Why would Nigeria military gun down community that no one exchanges drastically? Why will jet fighters, gun-ships, and foot soldiers bombed and mowned down innocent civilian villagers of Ayakoromo in search of one man? Or can’t they visit the so-called Liberation forces at their camp?”

I never knew. My grandfather was among the victims, a retired headmaster who got blind as a result of tedious academic works.

Painstakingly, I checked my grandfather at his already gunned down abored and I found him lying death.

It was so painful that the Nigeria military burnt an innocent old blind man of 76 years in a mission just to capture John Togo and refused family for damage. Thus, the brutal military personnels immediately organized mass burial in the centre of the community after the act, so we could not see the dead bodies to count. There, my grandfather was also. The tears of Ayakoromo massacre were a sad experience of military brutality to the Niger Delta people.

Once again, may the innocent soul of my grandfather, Eyorobetewarafa Eric Yeigagha, rest in perfect peace.