The person running for president from the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, on Sunday, strongly criticized the recent killing of some soldiers in Delta State.
His response comes after a late Saturday report that members of the Joint Task Force recovered discovered 15 soldiers' bodies led by the General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. Jamal Abdussalam, at the Okuama community, Delta State.
This occurred due to a dispute over land between two nearby communities – Okoloba and Okuama, dating back to January 27, 2024.
Some young people from Okoloba reportedly ambushed and killed three Okuama young people – Igho Meshack, Godspower Awusa, and Okiemute Agbabuleke, over a long-standing land dispute in the area as they were coming back from Okwagbe.
In retaliation, some Okuama young people allegedly ambushed a man named Mr. Anthony Aboh, from Okoloba, and held him captive.
To free the captive, members of the JTF quickly took action and went to Okuama.
However, the angry young people of Okuama, upon seeing the JTF personnel, purportedly shot at them at the waterfront and killed two soldiers with some others missing.
Some of the recovered bodies of the personnel had their heads cut off, while the stomachs of others were torn open with some 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 along with others who were separated.
In a series of tweets via his X handle, Obi remembered that while people were still reeling from the shock of the deaths of some policemen, the news of the Army personnel deaths was received.
His tweet said, “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 deceased security personnel were on active duties of securing and maintaining peace within our communities, state, and country before their unfortunate end, even by the people they were trying to help.”
He described the killing as “savage and completely not acceptable and should not be tolerated by Nigerians and any sane society. For a nation already struggling with 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 mentioned that the occurrences of abductions, killings, and other violent crimes have continued to worsen the security situation in the country.
The former Anambra State Governor deplored 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 comforted the families of the security personnel who died and encouraged the security formations – the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force – to not lose hope because of these bad events, but instead to see it as a challenge to work harder in their duties.
I urge the government and the security agencies to do everything possible to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those responsible for these bad acts.
May God give eternal rest to all the security officers who have lost their lives fighting for the peace and security of our nation. May God give all of us the strength to bear this sad, irreplaceable loss.
