*No Going Back Until Perpetrators Are Arrested– GOC

*Former DSS boss Calls For Thorough Probe

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has vowed that the killers of military personnel in Okuama community, Delta State will face the full wrath of the law to curtail attacks on military and security infrastructure.

Tinubu, who said this when he hosted the leadership of the Senate to a dinner to break the Ramadan fast at the State House on Thursday, March 21, in Abuja, noted that the military would continue to enjoy the support of his administration in neutralising security threats across the country.

“Our armed forces are working hard and we will not allow attackers to undermine the integrity and value of our armed forces and its leadership.

“We will continue to encourage and fight for our sovereignty, our individual rights to exist and we will succeed in banishing poverty from our land,” said.

Meanwhile, troops from the Defence Headquarters currently carrying out manhunt for one Endurance Okodeh, alias Amangben, the alleged prime suspect, and others involved in the killings of the 17 soldiers and some civilians in the community will continue to be in the creeks until the recovery of all weapons stolen by the perpetrators and all those involved are apprehended.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Nigerian Army, who is also the Land Component Commander of Joint Task Force (JTF) in the South-South, Operation Delta Safe, Maj-Gen. Jamal Abdussalam, disclosed this when he received the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, who paid him a condolence visit at the Division’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.

Abdussalam assured that the troops conducting operations over the incident would “be firm, strong, decisive and professional in the cause of the operations in the general area.”

He stated that  “no amount of propaganda, arm-twisting, blackmailing, intimidation and false narratives would distract troops from staying on course to achieve their objectives,” adding: “The mission handed to troops by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, is basically to recover the weapons carted away by the perpetrators of this heinous crime and ensure that all those involved are arrested.

“Troops will continue to be in the creeks until these objectives are achieved.”

The GOC, however, assured that “the operations would be conducted in the most professional manner in line with the global best practice of adherence to rules of engagement and respect for the fundamental human rights of the citizenry.”

He appealed to people and communities in the affected areas and indeed the public to assist troops with information on the location of the fleeing suspects and the stolen weapons.

While calling on people of the Niger Delta region to go about their normal activities, Abdussalam reiterated that “troops will not rest until all those involved are tracked down to account for their deeds,” adding that the operation was being conducted in such a way that nobody would contemplate attacking men in uniform in future.

He also stressed that “false narratives being churned out and propaganda peddled over this mindless criminality  would not deter troops from fishing out the criminals,” as “the Armed Forces of Nigeria is the symbol of our sovereignty.”

    He appreciated Ogbuku and his team for identifying with the Nigeria Army at this moment of grief, saying “there would not be development without peace and security and the two institutions would continue to work together for the common good of society.”

Ogbuku had earlier commiserated with the GOC, saying “without peace in the Niger Delta region, there would not be development.”

He noted that the Niger Delta region has been peaceful for some time due to the sacrifices of officers and men of the armed forces; hence the soldiers’ remain is worrisome.

   Ogbuku said the unfortunate incident does not define the people of the Niger Delta region, who have since embraced peace and dialogue, calling on all stakeholders to remain calm and support the Army to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous act, insisting “this is the only way justice would be served, particularly to those who paid the supreme price.”

In a related development, the call for a thorough investigation of the remote and immediate causes of the killings appears to be gaining ground, with a former director of the Department of State Service (DSS), Mr. Mike Ejiofor, adding, however, that the Army, being an interested party, should not be involved in probe of the incident.

Ejiofor also said the federal and state governments should close ranks and set up an independent probe panel, with representatives from both sides, to investigate what led to the incident.

Speaking on a television programme, Ejiofor stated: “The military is an interested party; they cannot undertake such an investigation. By now, the federal government or the state government must have set up an investigative panel to look into this matter, because time is running out; a panel that will come up with an objective report of what happened, because as it is now, people are scampering, some people that might be indicted in this investigation.”

The security expert faulted the decision of the military to deploy a Lt-Col, two Majors, one Captain and 13 other soldiers to settle a land dispute, saying such officers “cannot on their own just move out on a peace-keeping mission in a community. There is so much to this incident that must be found out.”

He, however, advised the military to involve the Police and DSS operatives in civilian assignments, going forward, adding: “If there is a peacekeeping, two parties must be involved; people from the two communities must be involved, and a neutral ground will be taken, possibly the local government headquarters, if you are talking of peace initiative.

“And then, why must the military? In fact, the military exposes itself in harm’s way. If the Police, the DSS and the military were involved in this (operation), I don’t think we would have seen this kind of incident.

“We are not justifying the killing, but it’s a lesson for all of us, for the military. You don’t blame the military too much, because they have been so much involved in military matters that the military will now go for peace initiatives without civil authorities. I still don’t get it.”

   The dead soldiers, attached to the 181 Amphibious Battalion, were said to be responding to a distress call when they were ambushed and killed on Thursday, March 14 in Okuama.

The Defence Headquarters on Monday, March 18, released their identities as the Commanding Officer 181, Amphibious Battalion, Lt.-Col. A.H Ali; Maj. S.D Shafa (N/13976); Maj. D.E Obi (N/14395) and Capt. U Zakari (N/16348).

Others Staff Sergeant Yahaya Saidu (#3NA/36/2974); Cpl Yahaya Danbaba (1ONA/65/7274); Cpl Kabiru Bashir (11NA/66/9853); L/Cpl Bulus Haruna (16NA/TS/5844); L/Cpl Sola Opeyemi (17NA/760719); L/Cpl Bello Anas (17NA/76/290); L/Cpl Hamman Peter (NA/T82653); L/Cpl Ibrahim Abdullahi (18NA/77/1191); Pte Alhaji Isah (17NA/76/6079); Pte Clement Francis (19NA/78/0911); Pte Abubakar Ali (19NA/78/2162); Pte Ibrahim Adamu (19NA/78/6079) and Pte Adamu Ibrahim (21NA/80/4795).