The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, suggested on Tuesday that the individuals responsible for the attack on soldiers in Delta State may not be Nigerian citizens.
A group of armed individuals attacked and killed 15 Nigerian Army members during a peace mission to Okuama Community in Delta State's Ughelli South Local Government Area on Thursday, March 14.
During a debate on merged motions by Senators Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, APC, Katsina Central, and Edeh Dafinone, APC, Delta Central, Akpabio expressed the view that the perpetrators could be mercenaries.
He stated, “We are not at war. I don’t think they are from the Niger Delta. They may be mercenaries.”
Following this, the Senate instructed its Committee on Defence, Army, Navy, and Air Force to work with military authorities to gather more information about the incident.
The Red Chamber also urged the Federal Government to capture and prosecute the individuals responsible for the killings and honored the deceased with a minute of silence.
It also called for the recruitment of additional police forces to avoid involving the military in civilian matters.
However, the Senate declined to observe a minute of silence or offer condolences to the families of civilians killed during the incident due to the uncertainty surrounding the number of casualties.
While the Senate rejected an additional plea for relief supplies for the community by the National Emergency Management Agency, it decided that compensation should be provided immediately to the families of the deceased soldiers as proposed by Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, and seconded by Senator Tony Nwoye.
