CONFUSION AS SOLDIERSN GO BERSERK: DESTROY 9 MOTORCYCLES, 13 BICYCLES, ALLEGEDLY FLOG PROTESTING WOMEN IN DELTA

Hundreds of women, most of them in their 70s, were on Wednesday morning, given the beating of their life by soldiers for protesting against the acquisition of a disputed land.

The women, numbering about 500, went on the peaceful protest at Ovre-Eku (Iwevbo) community, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, a land said to have been in dispute for years between Edo and Delta states.

They had converged at Eku community in black attires and marched to the disputed land, bearing a coffin wrapped with palm fronds, to express their displeasure on the alleged sale of the land to one PRESCO Oil Company.

The soldiers, numbering over 10, were said to have been deployed from 4th Brigade, Benin Garrison Unit, to guarding the acquired land belonging to the company.

It was gathered that when the protesting women got to the spot at about 10:45a.m, they were accosted by the soldiers who ordered the women to leave the site.

But the women were said to have insisted on having an audience with, at least, a representative of the company before they could take their leave.

The soldiers were said to have felt slighted by the women's request and adamant attitude, which prompted the leader of the troop, identified as the unit commander, Lt E.D. Oworobo, to cock his rifle and ordered his boys to begin to flog the women under his supervision.

Reminiscent of the dark days of military regime in the country, the soldiers, armed with sticks and whips, also went after some of the women who were fleeing into the woods, hounding and beating them mercilessly.

Described as a pathetic sight, some of the women, who could not run as a result of old age, were caught up by the wild soldiers, who began to trample upon them with their boots as well as flog them with canes improvised from tree branches. 

It was also gathered that the soldiers, at about 11:30am, further went berserk and invaded parts of Ovre-Eku community.

There, they were said to have destroyed no fewer than nine motorcycles and 13 bicycles belonging to residents of the community who had fled into the woods, following the arrival of more soldiers in a white Hilux van.

It was also gathered that two journalists, including a correspondent from a national newspaper, who had accompanied the protesting women, narrowly escaped the brutality of the ravenous khaki men.

As of the time of filing this report, scores of the protesting women, who had fled into the woods, could not be located.

It was also gathered that some of the women whom the soldiers caught up with during the hot chase, are now in their custody.

Meanwhile, when contacted on why he ordered his boys to brutalise the protesting, but harmless women, the Unit Commander, Lt. Oworobo, simply growled: "you are a fool and a madman."