By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
ELDER statesman and South South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has narrated how soldiers onboard five trucks numbering 40 invaded and raided his country home of Kiagbodo in search of arms and purported killers of the 17 officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army.
The former Federal Commissioner for Information and Ijaw leader said besides the trucks of gun-totting soldiers, some flying drones also hovered over his community in search of arms.
He gave the situation report while addressing journalists on Tuesday at his Asokoro Residence, Abuja.
He said the soldiers stormed his home on Saturday, 23rd March, 2024 in five trucks loaded with armed soldiers numbering between 30 and 40 and, with their jackboots broke open all the doors in his compound including the security door to his locked sitting.
Clark, who is the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) said that the soldiers also flew their drones within the premises, just as some of them went to the buildings behind the main house, and broke all the doors that were locked.
He added that the soldiers marched out his staff living in the buildings, including lecturers at the University as they were made to sit on the bare ground.
The nonagenarian has, however, called for a Commission of Inquiry into the killing of the 17 officers and men of the 181 Amphibious Battalion at Okuama in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta.
Clark said that the soldiers also broke into the house of his late brother, Ambassador Akporode Blessing Clark, a man he said had served Nigeria internationally in various capacities, including being Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He added that they both share the same premises and the soldiers brought out his son almost naked, as the young man was taking a bath, when they stormed the house.
He narrated the ordeals thus: “At about 6:00p.m on Saturday, 23rd March, 2024, I got a telephone call from someone who identified himself as the Commanding Officer, Nigerian Army Division in Port Harcourt.
“He said that a tracker of the Nigerian Army had tracked one Mr. Vote, the community chairman of Okuama community, whom the Army was looking for in respect of the killings of the 17 men of the Nigerian Army, to a house in Ughelli; and that the military men had broken into the house, ransacked it, before they were informed that the house belongs to me, that he was very sorry and apologising to me on behalf of the army.
“In my usual way and as a leader who is expected to condone as much as possible, I accepted his apology wholeheartedly, but told him that I do not own a house in Ughelli, that the house he is referring to could be my father’s.
“I went on to sympathise with the Nigerian Army over the gruesome murder of the soldiers, an action I had condemned severally the moment I heard of it in the news.
“I assured him that we will all work within our powers to avail the security agencies with any available information that would unravel the whole thing and bring the perpetrators to book. We ended the discussion on a cordial note.
“It was not long after that, I was inundated with calls from my home, Kiagbodo, telling me how the army had invaded my country home by land and by air.
“That they came in about five trucks loaded with armed soldiers numbering between 30 and 40. They, in my house, used their legs to break open all the doors in the compound including the security door to my sitting room which was locked because I reside in Abuja.
“At the same time, flying their drones within the premises. Some of them went to the buildings behind the main house, and also broke all the doors that were locked.
“They marched out my staff living in those buildings, including lecturers at the university; made them to sit on bare ground.
“They also broke into my late brother, Ambassador Akporode Blessing Clark’s house; a man who served this country internationally in various capacities, including as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; as both of us share the same premises.
“They brought out his son almost naked, as the young man was taking a bath, when they stormed the house. All their phones were seized.
“The people had to identify themselves, and told them whose house it was, before they asked for my telephone number, which they said they would pass to their ‘oga’, before they all departed.
“One would have expected that at this juncture, a call could have been put to the Governor of Delta State, to inform him of what happened.
“I immediately called back the commanding officer to tell him of the actions of his men. And he said he was aware, and that was why he called to apologise.
“Before continuing, let me play the devil’s advocate by stating that the army may not know that the house they went to in Kiagbodo is my country home. But I feel very uncomfortable to conclude this recent incident with such theory, when I recall how men of the Tactical Squad of the Nigeria Police, attached to the Office of the Inspector General of Police, on 4th September, 2018, at about 12 noon, stormed my house in Abuja with in a bus load, fully armed.
“They came with a Search Warrant from a Magistrate Court in Abuja, bearing Mrs. Helen Clark, but with the address of my house on it, that they had come to search the house; that they had information that arms from the Niger Delta were being stock piled there.
“I identified myself and told them that there was no one named Helen Clark, living with me in the house. I spoke with the then Deputy Inspector General of Police, Operations. But they insisted on carrying out their search.
“With a very clear conscience, I allowed them to go ahead with their mission. They took their time to search every space in the compound, including my bedroom, but found nothing incriminating.”
The elder statesman reiterated the call for a commission of enquiry to dig deep into the killings and subsequent levelling of Okuama and other communities going forward.
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