THE people of Agge community part of which was reduced to rubbles penultimate Monday by men of the Joint Task Force allegedly in pursuit of suspected militants that attacked its base at Bomadi in neighbouring Delta State have challenged the military authorities to produce the weapons its troops reportedly recovered from the devastated community.
Meantime, Bayelsa State Government has approved N30million for the resettlement of the displaced persons in the troubled community.
The community spokesman, Mr. Stanley Braboke in a telephone interview with Vanguard described as untrue claims by the military that large cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the area during the invasion and wondered how the poor fishing settlement could have procured such quantity of sophiscated weapon.
According to him, the position of the military was to save itself the embarrassment of the massive destruction unleashed on the defenceless civilian settlement by the same security forces established to defend its citizenry.
He described the destruction of the community as unwarranted as there was no resistance from the natives. �They are only trying to save their face from the grave error committed against our defenceless civilian settlement. Why is it that the military could not display the weapons they allegedly recovered from the area after the operation.
�What our people laboured over the years have been destroyed due to the inability of the military to pin point their target. In civilised democracies soldiers are known to have owned up to their mistakes in the course of their operations but not in Nigeria where obvious errors are often justified.�
He described as pathetic the situation of the displaced persons in the community many of whom are currently battling with the vagaries of the weather.
But the authorities of the Joint Task Force weekend faulted the claims by the Elders of Agge community and MEND that the military forces deployed engaged in act of massacre and destruction of buildings without justification, saying the claims were only meant to discredit the activities of the military task force in the Niger Delta.
However Bayelsa State government has instituted a probe into the invasion and approved the sum of N30million to the community for resettlement and rebuilding plans for the people displaced by the military operation reportedly targeted at arresting armed militias hiding in the community and recovered lost military rifles.
The Media Officer of the Joint Military Task Force Headquarters in Warri, Lt. Col. Rabi Abubakar had in an interview stated that contrary to the claim of the elders of the community, the task force recovered huge cache of arms and ammunitions from the area.
He said the military action revealed the presence of illegal refineries, armed militias and arms capable of crippling an area.
He announced that 3 SMG guns,3 AK47 guns,17 dynamites,855 special and Nato 7.62mm ammonitions,14 AK 47 magazines,3 locally made dane guns and an ammo belt were recovered from the condone and search operation in the area.
Lt. Col. Abubakar said the claims of the elders of the community and MEND were a lame attempt by them to cover up the illegality existing in the community and blackmail the military task force before the world though some of the houses searched by soldiers had huge drums of fuel inside, the soldiers tried not to ignite any thing.
All the claims of massacre and killings in the community are propaganda. Nobody was killed and the search done on selected houses. The picture being circulated were that of another area not Agge�
�When you stop somebody from getting what he use to get illegally. It is either he gets at you or paint you black before the world. That is exactly what the Agee people are doing. If you go to the village, you will be sorry for the people. Go to the area and see things yourself. The activities of the bunkerers have contaminated the waters so much that the people do not get good drinking water. The earlier the people know the havoc the militant caused, the better for the region. All our men have blocked all exits for the bunkerers.�
Apparently touched by the plight of the community, the state government has instituted a probe into the incident and approve the sum of N30million for resettlement plans for victims.
Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Gideon Ekeuwei, who disclosed this yesterday during his installation as the Chief Patron of the Boys Brigade at the St. Peters Anglican Church in Yenagoa, said the state government has instituted a probe into the incident and has approved money for them to be released soon.