Tension has gripped Ughelli, headquarters of Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, as the ultimatum given to the leadership of the community to produce the killers of a soldier and an oil worker by the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Restore Hope, expired on Friday.
Already, more residents fled the community on Thursday, less than 24 hours to the deadline conveyed to the Ovie of Ughelli, Oharisi III, by the Commander of JTF, Brig.-Gen. Alfred Ilogho.
It was learnt that the monarch and other leaders were yet to comply with Ilogho�s order to hand over the recalcitrant for punishment as at press time on Thursday afternoon, a development which fueled speculation of a likely military operation in the area.
It will be recalled that a soldier attached to JTF and an employee of Shell Petroleum Development Company, were killed by youths of Ekuigbo community, Ughelli, while on their way to an oil field of the Dutch firm in the area last Friday.
The youths stole the uniforms and service rifle of the JTF soldier before he was brutally murdered.
Their remains were recovered in a bush in the community last Saturday while the rifle and uniforms were yet to be found by the operatives deployed in the area by Ilogho in the wake of the dastardly act.
Ilogho had on Monday dropped twelve names with the Ughelli monarch as the perpetrators of the act and asked the community to produce them �dead or alive,� by Friday.
However, it was learnt that the leaders of the community were in dilemma on Thursday as the wanted youths were not within their reach.
It was gathered that efforts to locate and hand them over to the JTF were futile.
Tension was palpable in the community on Thursday afternoon as our correspondent who visited the area said it was desolate.
It was learnt that few residents who braved to remain in the community were apprehensive over the next move of the JTF.
Ilogho, in a telephone interview, insisted that members of the killer gang must be produced by the community.
Ilogho said the JTF was not ready to compromise the order.