Okuama Soldiers’ Ambush: IYN Faults Ex-Minister Tajudeen Olarenwaju, Alleges Sympathy For Oil Thieves

The Ijaw Youths Network (IYN) on Friday faulted a former Minister of Communications, Maj Gen Tajudeen Olarenwaju (Rtd), on the grisly murder of 16 personnel of the Nigerian Army by Okuama youths on March 14, 2024 over land dispute.

In reacting to the killings which shocked the entire country, “the retired general fought hard to create a non-existent link between this crime against humanity and the collaborative protection of the nation’s oil pipeline between private security outfits, the military and security agencies,” the Ijaw Youth Network said.

It noted that Gen Olarenwaju’s claim that it is unsafe for non-state actors to protect oil installations in the country at this critical time is curious and wrong.

The IYN in a statement by its Coordinator, Frank Ebikabo and Secretary, Federal Ebiaridor, said the general’s statement only reechoed the same misguided and false narrative being peddled by frustrated oil thieves and their cohorts who did not get the pipeline contract of the NNPCL.

The group said that the utterances of a man who rose to the rank of general and one time minister of Defence should not bear semblance with those exploiting the disturbing death of our military personnel to push an obvious economic interest.

Frank Ebikabo and Secretary, Federal Ebiaridor, said that Gen Olarenwaju should be condoling the institution that produced him, the Nigerian Army, at its moment of grief and not to dabble into, or steer needless controversy.