The Joint Senate Committee on Protection, Military, Navy and Air Power on Wednesday held a closed-door assembly with the service chiefs over the latest killing of 17 officers and troops of the Nigerian Military in Okuoma group, Bomadi Native Authorities Space of Delta. Stands.
It was additionally famous that troops on Wednesday intensified the manhunt for the navy's killers.
The 4 navy officers and 13 troopers had been stated to have gone to Okuoma group on a peacekeeping mission once they had been killed by hoodlums final Thursday.
Current on the assembly of the lawmakers with the service chiefs, which began promptly at 3:42 p.m., had been: the Chief of Protection Workers, Common Christopher Musa; the Chief of Military Workers, Lieutenant Common Taoreed Lagbaja; the Chief of the Air Power, Air Marshal Hassan; and Chief of the Naval Workers, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.
Throughout its plenary session on Tuesday, the Senate had instructed the joint committee to research the killing of the troopers.
The Senate urged the Federal Authorities to make sure that these accountable for the heinous crime had been recognized, apprehended and delivered to justice.
The Joint Committee is chaired by Senator Ahmad Lawan, who can also be chairman of the Senate Protection Committee.
Shortly earlier than the beginning of the assembly with the Service Chiefs, members of the Joint Committee noticed a minute's silence in honor of the 17 slain troopers.
Talking on the incident, Senator Lawan, in a speech on the Joint Fee investigative listening to, recalled that “the troops of the 181 Amphibious Battalion on Thursday, March 14, 2024, went on a peacekeeping mission to Okuoma group in Delta. Stands. An incident occurred wherein a commanding officer, two majors, a captain and twelve troopers had been misplaced in the course of the peacekeeping mission.
“The troops on the peacekeeping mission to Okuoma group in Bomadi Native Authorities Space of Delta State had been surrounded by some youths from the group ensuing within the loss of life of officers and males.
“The Senate acknowledged the seriousness of the assault on navy personnel and, throughout its plenary session on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, directed the Joint Committee on Protection, Military, Navy and Air Power to research the incident.”
He added: “The Senate has additionally urged the Federal Authorities to make sure that these accountable for the heinous crime are recognized, apprehended and delivered to justice.”
Senator Lawan additional underscored the necessity for the Federal Authorities to prioritize the safety challenge, noting that it takes priority over investments in another sector.
He described the killing of the seventeen troopers as “barbaric” and appealed to Nigerians to assist the armed forces by volunteering data that might result in the arrest and prosecution of these behind varied types of insecurity throughout the nation .
He added: “We, within the Senate, and certainly within the Nationwide Meeting, will all the time assist our navy in no matter means we will. The Nationwide Meeting has that historical past. We all the time attempt to make a significant appropriation of the obtainable assets. We all know it has by no means been sufficient and I’ll take this chance to commend our armed forces for doing a lot with the little we will afford.
“The insecurity in our nation takes priority over each different consideration and subsequently it’s the place of the Senate that no funding in any sector may be extra vital than making certain that we’re secure as a rustic.
“We as parliament are subsequently very unhappy about this tragic incident. It’s our hope within the Senate that those that dedicated this barbaric and heinous act are apprehended and delivered to full impact by the legislation.
“I need to attraction to Nigerians that these are our armed forces and so they can’t safe us with out us as residents taking part in our half. Subsequently, each citizen is predicted to assist our armed forces. And people within the space the place this incident occurred ought to volunteer data as a result of it’s the solely technique to stop one thing like this from occurring once more.”
Troops intensify the manhunt
Protection headquarters troops reportedly intensified the manhunt for the navy's killers on Wednesday.
Some prime officers in Bayelsa State, stated to be shut associates of the prime suspect, are stated to have already gone underground.
It was reliably established that the prime suspect was a notable ally of key officers of the Bayelsa administration.
Aggrieved troops of the Nigerian Military had on Sunday stormed Igbomotoru, an Ijaw group and patrilineal residence of Okodeh, in Southern Ijaw LGA, Bayelsa State, in a futile seek for the prime suspect.
No fewer than three suspects have already been arrested.
It was gathered that the suspects had been arrested on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and brought to the Military Headquarters, Asaba, the place they’re at present being held.
In the meantime, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri on Wednesday strongly condemned the killing of the troopers.
Diri, in a press launch issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, on Wednesday pressured that no effort needs to be spared to deliver the perpetrators to justice.
He stated: “The killing of our troopers is barbaric, satanic and downright prison. And everybody concerned needs to be seen and handled as criminals below our legal guidelines.”
