Mediaage NG News – ABUJA, Nigeria
President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu has ordered the arrest of the killers of 16 soldiers who were last week murdered while on a peace mission in the south of the country.
There were clashes between the Okuama and Okoloba communities in the oil-rich southern Delta state, before the troops were sent but, were attacked and killed by some community youth, the Nigerian Army said in a statement.
President Tinubu said a civilian was killed in what he termed “a direct attack on our nation”.
“The cowardly offenders responsible for this heinous crime will not go unpunished,” the president said.
“The defence headquarters and chief of defence staff have been granted full authority to bring to justice anybody found to have been responsible for this unconscionable crime against the Nigerian people”, he added.
Last Saturday, the army said it had began investigation and several arrests was made in connection to the killing of a commanding officer, two majors, one captain and 12 soldiers during the attack.
On Sunday, reports say parts of the community were set ablaze by unknown groups while the villagers fled the area for fear of reprisal attacks by the country’s military.
Spokesman for the army, Brig Gen. Tukur Gusau, while speaking with the BBC said he was unaware of the latest incident. However, he emphasised that “the military must retrieve the arms and weapons taken from the slain soldiers”.
Rival communities have clashed repeatedly over land ownership and fishing rights in recent weeks, leaving several persons dead, local media reported.