Yesterday, Nigerian soldiers stormed the Ovre-Eku community in Delta State and abused women (mostly old women) numbering over 500 who had gone to protest the sale of their land to an unnamed oil company.
Vanguard reports that the land has been in dispute for years between Edo and Delta states, and reportedly has been sold to an oil company. Yesterday, the upset women converged at the Eku community, all of them dressed in black. They reportedly marched to the site carrying a coffin covered in palm fronds, to express their displeasure, but they were ambushed by 10 soldiers who ordered them to leave the site.
Journalists present at the scene said that the women refused and demanded that a representative of the company address them, but one of the military officers, a Unit Commander now identified as Lt. E.D. Oworobo, cocked his gun and threatened to shoot the women, next he ordered his men to beat up the protesters.
Vanguard reports that older women aged around 80 years who could not run as fast as the others were trampled on, flogged and beaten with tree branches as the others fled into the nearby bushes. Vanguard reports that its correspondents at the scene were also attacked.
When contacted for comment, the Unit Commander lashed out at the journalist and reportedly called him an “idiot and a madman.” Reports also confirm that the officers returned to the Ovre-Eku community and destroyed properties, including 9 motorcycles and 13 bicycles. Many residents have since fled the community.
Source: Vanguard
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