ABUJA, Nigeria: Men in military uniforms looted and set on fire houses in Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta state, residents say, days after youths killed 16 soldiers sent to settle a land dispute there.
Soldiers raided the riverside village of Okuoma, home to hundreds of people, on Sunday as they looked for Thursday’s killings, residents said.
Tam Oburumu, who fled his home, said men in uniform roamed the area looking for guns, ransacked houses and set them on fire. “The damage for now is huge, a lot of houses were burned,” he said by phone from a nearby village where he has sought refuge.
The residents, said government-owned properties, including a primary school and hospital, were however, spared.
President Bola Tinubu said he had given the military full powers to nab those responsible for the soldiers’ killings, calling it an “unconscionable crime against the Nigerian people”.
But General Christopher Musa, defence chief, denied the reports that the army attacked the community.
“No reprisals by the army. We are searching for the murderers and their weapon cache,” media quoted Musa as having said in a text message.
Delta state communities have seen frequent, sometimes deadly, clashes over land or over compensation for oil spills by energy companies.
