An Ijaw leader has urged the military to protect innocent residents as they search for masterminds of the attack that killed 16 soldiers in Okuama in Delta.

Ayebatari Easterday of Igbomotoru in Southern Ijaw LGA expressed his concern in an interview in Yenagoa on Tuesday.

He spoke against the backdrop of the ongoing military crackdown on speculated hideouts of the suspects who perpetrated the crime in Delta, now alleged to have fled to Bayelsa.

Mr Easterday, a former councillor representing the community in the LGA, called on security agents to conduct in-depth investigations before taking actions that could affect innocent lives.

He alleged that some people had been killed in the community by aggrieved soldiers in search of the militants who allegedly spearheaded the death of the 16 soldiers.

According to him, economic activities in Igbomotoru, a coastline community along the bank of the River Nun, have reduced due to the activities of the military.

Some of the youths in the society, he said, had fled to neighbouring communities.

Similarly, a former member of the House of Representatives, Henry Daniel-Ofongo, and a member representing Igbomotoru in the Southern Ijaw LGA Caretaker Committee, Solomon Suobo, unanimously called for caution.

They urged the military to abide by the rule of engagement guiding their operations.

The soldiers, they said, should conduct themselves in a manner that would not make the innocent continue to bear the brunt of evil acts committed by others. 

(NAN)