Nigeria Armed Forces Mourn Fallen Colleagues
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
The armed forces of Nigeria is mourning the loss of their Colleagues that paid the supreme sacrifice for the nation at Okuama Comunity in Delta State.
It is no longer news that suffered a setback that resulted in loss of lifes of gallant personnel of the armed forces.
The troops of Operation DELTA SAFE were on a peace mission to the community, when members of the community allegedly launched unprovoked attacks on the unsuspecting troops killing the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, 2 Majors, 1 Capt and 12 personnel of the battalion.
The senseless and barbaric killings of these men according to the Director Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, is a tragedy as they were killed in a dehumanised and unspeakable manner while trying to restore peace in the nation.
The DMO, reiterated that both the constitution and the Armed Forces Act saddles the military with the responsibility of protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation adding that the armed forces consist of citizens from every nook and cranny of the nation, who have taken an oath of allegiance to put themselves in harms way to defend their country.
Owing to the ongoing security situation across the country, troops are deployed on internal security operations in about all the states of the federation and expected to intervene to deescalate and contain tensed situations.
Unfortunately, the ugly incident in Okuama Community in Delta State is indicative of the dangers gallant troops experience in order to secure the nation.
The statement by the DMO noted that the military assures there would be measured responses and injurious consequences for the perpetrators of the dastardly act although the armed forces being a disciplined force that complies with rules of engagement, laws of armed conflict and the respect for human rights would be tempered by the provisions and the rule of law.
It however, debunked all claims that the military embarked on reprisal attacks in Okuama Community after the incident as the community was desertered even before troops arrived the scene.
It cautioned those peddling misinformation, disinformation and fake news that the military had embarked on reprisal attacks on the community following the incident, to desist from further dishonouring the fallen heroes, saying it behooves community leaders, elders and the people of Delta State to assist the investigation to identify perpetrators of the dastardly act so that they can be held accountable for their actions.
The statement further noted that the dispute between Okuama and Okoloba communities remain unresolved which implies that there could be untoward activities not initiated by the military.
Ultimately, there is no doubt, that this is an extremely sad development and untoward activity by members of the Okuama community against troops that were there to protect them.
He urged the public to resist the temptation of allowing any videos of the incident of the killed personnel from going viral for their loved ones are still alive, even though they have died protecting the country and her citizens.
It emphasised that it would be a dishonor to the fallen heroes to allow such ugly videos of their demise go viral stating that as the military mourns, it remains ever determined to ensure safety and security of citizens across the country.
