The tension in Okuama could almost be felt like a wave as the bodies of the slain soldiers were laid to rest.
President Bola Tinubu has insisted that the killers of 17 officers and men of the Nigerian Army in Delta State on March 14, 2024, must be arrested.
The families of the slain soldiers demanded justice during the burial of the slain military personnel at the National Cemetery in Abuja on Wednesday.
Okuama Peace Mission
In his address at the event, Tinubu declared that leaders in Delta State must fish out killers of the soldiers who were ambushed while on a peace mission in Okuama community in Delta State.
This came as the President conferred posthumous national honours on the slain officers.
He vowed that the killers would not go unpunished.
The late soldiers were honoured in three categories, including Member of the Order of Niger, Federal Republic Medal I, and Federal Republic Medal II.
The Federal Government gave the families of the slain soldiers houses, and their children got scholarships.
Families Of Slain Soldiers To Receive Benefits
At the same time, the President ordered the military to pay the slain soldiers’ benefits to their family members within 90 days.
Also at the event, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, stated that the death of military personnel in Delta was highly demoralising, as the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, vowed to hunt down the killers.
Tinubu, who attended the burial ceremony himself, announced the provision of housing facilities for the surviving family members and scholarships for all their children to the university level and also directed the payment of death benefits to the family members within 90 days.
Wednesday’s national honours conferment comes one week after Tinubu made the promise while breaking the Ramadan fast with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and the House leadership at the Presidential Villa on March 20.
At the time, Tinubu declared: “We salute all our men and women in uniform and sympathise with them.
“I will soon make further pronouncements, but they must have a befitting burial and national honours”.
How It Happened
On March 14, Lt. Colonel A. H. Ali, the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, three other officers and 13 soldiers were killed in the Okuama Community during a peacekeeping mission to mediate in the lingering dispute with Okoloba Community, Delta State.
Soldiers of the Joint Task Force reportedly recovered their bodies under the supervision of the General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Jamal Abdussalam.
At the National Cemetery on Wednesday, Tinubu said, “They went as peacemakers and peacekeepers respectfully seeking to bring an end to the hostilities between the two communities.
“They didn’t go with tanks, machine guns, or other weapons. They were on a mission of peace. Ali kept faith with his military calling until the end.
“On behalf of a grateful nation, we honour the sacrifice of Ali and the other gallant patriots who died that day.”
He noted that the slain soldiers would forever be remembered as heroes who answered the call of duty and paid the ultimate price.
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