Killing of soldiers barbaric, unacceptable

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, on Sunday, condemned the recent killing of some soldiers in Delta State.

His reaction comes after a late Saturday report that operatives of the Joint Task Force recovered 15 bodies of soldiers under the supervision of the General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. Jamal Abdussalam, at the Okuama community, Delta State.

This was due to a communal land dispute between two neighbouring communities – Okoloba and Okuama, dating back to January 27, 2024.

Some youths from Okoloba were said to have ambushed and killed three Okuama youths – Igho Meshack, Godspower Awusa, and Okiemute Agbabuleke, over an age-long land dispute in the area as they were returning from Okwagbe.

In a reprisal attack, some Okuama youths on Wednesday reportedly ambushed one Mr. Anthony Aboh, an indigene of Okoloba, held him hostage.

To release the hostage, operatives of the JTF swiftly swung into action and moved to Okuama.

However, the aggrieved youths of Okuama, on sighting the JTF personnel, allegedly opened fire on them at the waterfront and killed two soldiers with some others missing.

Some of the recovered corpses of the personnel had their heads severed off, while the stomachs of others were ripped off with some of the vital organs missing.

At the NDDC jetty in the community, it was reported that the bodies of the commanding officer and two Majors were seen floating by the river bank as others were separated.

In a series of tweets via his X handle, Obi recalled that while people were still recovering from the shock of the death of some policemen, the report of the Army personnel deaths was received.

His tweet read, “Just last week, several policemen were reportedly killed while on duty in Delta State. We were still recovering from the shock over such a sad occurrence when yesterday, we were besieged with the gory reports of the killing of 22 officers and men of the Nigerian Army, also in Delta State.

“In both sad incidents, the dead security personnel were on active duties of securing and keeping peace within our communities, state and country before their unfortunate end, even by the people they were trying to help.”

He labelled the killing as “barbaric and totally unacceptable and should not be tolerated by Nigerians and any sane society. For a nation already combatting a high level of insecurity, the killing of our security personnel who put their lives on the line for the security of the nation will be too much of a burden to bear.”

Obi noted that the cases of kidnappings, killings and other violent crimes have continued to degenerate the security level in the country.

The former Anambra State Governor lamented that in some cases, while “security operatives are making a lot of sacrifices in their line of duty,” they “pay the supreme price.

“We must therefore appreciate and value them by showing empathy towards them and ensuring healthcare for those who are wounded” adding that the government should ensure “adequate compensation and welfare packages for the families of those who die in active service.”

Obi consoled the “families of the security personnel that died,” and encouraged the security formations – the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force, “not to be dispirited by these ugly developments but see it as a challenge to increase their efforts in their duties.

“I urge the government and the security agencies to leave no stone unturned in investigating, arresting, and prosecuting those behind these ugly acts.

“May God grant eternal rest to all the security officers who have lost their lives fighting for the peace and security of our nation. May God grant all of us the fortitude to bear this sad, irreplaceable loss.”