The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has condemned the recent killing of some soldiers in Delta State.
Obi’s reaction came after operatives of the Joint Task Force recovered 15 bodies of soldiers under the supervision of the General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. Jamal Abdussalam, at the Okuama community, Delta State.
This was due to a communal land dispute between two neighbouring communities – Okoloba and Okuama, which dates back to January 27, 2024.
Some youths from Okoloba ambushed and killed three Okuama youths – Igho Meshack, Godspower Awusa, and Okiemute Agbabuleke, over an age-long land dispute in the area when they were returning from Okwagbe.
In a reprisal attack, some Okuama youths ambushed one Mr. Anthony Aboh, an indigene of Okoloba and held him hostage.
To release the hostage, operatives of the JTF immediately swung into action and moved to Okuama.
On sighting the JTF officials, the aggrieved youths of Okuama opened fire on them at the waterfront and killed two soldiers with some others missing.
Some of the recovered corpses of the JTF personnel had their heads cut off, while the stomachs of others were ripped off with some major organs missing.
It was reported at the NDDC jetty in the community that the bodies of the commanding officer and two Majors were seen floating by the river bank as others were separated.
In a thread of tweets via his X handle, Obi stated that while people were still recovering from the shock of the demise of some policemen, the report of the Army personnel deaths was received.
He wrote: “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 dead security personnel were on active duties of securing and keeping 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 “barbaric and totally unacceptable and should not be tolerated by Nigerians and any sane society. For a nation already combatting 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.”
He noted that the cases of kidnappings, killings and other violent crimes have degenerated the security level in the country.
Obi however lamented that in some cases, while “security operatives are making a lot of sacrifices in their line of duty,” they “pay the supreme price.
He wrote: “We must therefore appreciate and value them by showing empathy towards them and ensuring healthcare for those who are wounded.”
He added that the government should ensure “adequate compensation and welfare packages for the families of those who die in active service.”
Obi sympathized with the “families of the security personnel that died,” and encouraged the security formations – the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force, “not to be dispirited by these ugly developments but see it as a challenge to increase their efforts in their duties”.
He wrote: “I urge the government and the security agencies to leave no stone unturned in investigating, arresting, and prosecuting those behind these ugly acts.
“May God grant eternal rest to all the security officers who have lost their lives fighting for the peace and security of our nation. May God grant all of us the fortitude to bear this sad, irreplaceable loss.”
