Delta 17: Tinubu, Govs Pay Final Respects As Military Buries Gallant Soldiers

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 President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, led governors, federal lawmakers, military top brass, dignitaries, families and friends of 17 gallant military personnel gruesomely murdered in Delta State to lay wreaths in honour of the slain officers and soldiers.

The President was the Special Guest of Honour at the inauspicious occasion at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja.

The soldiers were murdered by vicious criminals of the riverine Okuoma village on March 14, 2024 when the men in uniform were on a peace mission to warring Okuama and Okoloba communities in the area.

 

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla were present to pay final respects for the fallen heroes.

The Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas led members of the both upper and lower chambers to honour the slain military personnel.

Bodies of slain military personnel arrived the National Military Cemetery, Abuja for burial on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. Photo: Channels Television/Sodiq Adelakun

 

Governors Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Duoye Diri (Bayelsa), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), and Abba Yusuf (Kano) were conspicuously present alongside other members of their state executives.

The President joined the solemn assembly at exactly 04:10pm in “honour of our men of gallantry and valor” who paid the supreme price.

After the opening processions, prayers, laying of military accoutrements on caskets which housed the remains of the slain soldiers, and the sound of the bugle, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja, mourned the “gallant heroes”, saying it is highy demoralising that the citizens the soldiers tried to protect ended up killing them.

The 17 personnel including the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, two majors, one captain, and 12 personnel of the battalion were buried at 6pm after funeral rites.