Delta military killings: ‘Cowardly’ perpetrators won’t go unpunished, says Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has condemned the killings of some Army officers and troops at Okuama, Delta State, on March 14.

This is as he vowed that the perpetrators, whom he described as “cowardly,” must not go unpunished.

Persecondnews recalls that some youths had shot dead an Army commander, two majors, a captain, and 12 soldiers who were on a peace mission to Okuoma, a town in Delta State’s Ughelli South Local Government Area.

The soldiers and officers were reported to have been deployed from the 181 Amphibious Battalion in the Delta’s Bomadi Local Government Area.

Reacting to the incident, Tinubu, in a statement released on Sunday evening, described the killing as “unprovoked” and “dreadful.”

He said: “As the Commander-in-Chief, I join all well-meaning Nigerians and the men and women of our armed forces to mourn and express my profound grief over the needless deaths of our gallant soldiers.

“I extend my profound condolences to the families of these fallen soldiers, their colleagues, and their loved ones. The military high command is already responding to this incident. The cowardly offenders responsible for this heinous crime will not go unpunished.

“I salute their heroism, courage, uncommon grit, and patriotism.

“As a nation, we must constantly remember and honour all those who have paid the ultimate price to keep our nation safe, strong, and united.

“The officers and men who died in the Okuama community have joined the pantheon of great men and women who gave their all, with honour, in the service of our fatherland.

“Members of our armed forces are at the heart and core of our nationhood. Any attack on them is a direct attack on our nation. We will not accept this wicked act,” he said.

Tinubu disclosed that the Defence headquarters and Chief of Defence Staff have been “granted full authority to bring to justice anybody found to have been responsible for this unconscionable crime against the Nigerian people.”

“My government will not relent until we achieve peace and tranquilly in every part of Nigeria,” the president said.