Tinubu: Slain Army Officers, Soldiers will Be Given Befitting Burial, National Honours

•Charges National Assembly committees to be cautious in summoning heads of MDAs

•Killers of military personnel must be seen, treated as criminals, Diri declares 

•Senate warns against harassing, punishing innocent Nigerians

Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja, Sunday Ehigiator and Emma Okonji in Lagos

President Bola Tinubu, last night, promised that the sacrifices of the 16 soldiers killed last week in Okuama, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, would not be in vain.

Speaking during the breaking of Ramadan fast at State House, Abuja, with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, and the leadership of the House, Tinubu said the deceased military personnel would be given befitting burial and national honours.

The president also used the forum to appeal to members of the National Assembly to exercise restraint in summoning heads of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) before legislative committees.

The president’s comments came as Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, yesterday, said the killers of the military men must be smoked out and treated as criminals. Diri called for concerted effort and support for the military and other security agencies to enable them bring the killers to justice.

The governor condemned the killings and expressed his deep condolences and that of the Bayelsa State government to the families of the slain military personnel, the armed forces, and the army, in particular. He stressed that no effort should be spared to bring the perpetrators to book.

Delta State Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, disclosed that the army was yet to grant the police access to Okuama. Abaniwonda said the area was still volatile and deserted.

Relatedly, the Senate Joint Committee on Defence, Army, Navy and Air Force told the military authorities not to harass or punish innocent citizens as they went after murderers of the officers.

In a similar vein, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) said Tinubu should investigate and ascertain the veracity of the allegations of military reprisal attacks on communities by Ijaw Youth Council (IYC).

IYC had alleged ongoing military operations in Igbomo¬toru 2 community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, saying no fewer than 40 people have been killed since the early hours of Sunday.

However, commenting on the death of the military men on national duty, Tinubu said, “In responding to distress calls, they met the end of their lives in a savage manner. Let us work to sympathise and symbolise the fact that they are worth the sacrifices they have made for Nigeria.

“We salute all our men and women in uniform, and we sympathise with them. I will soon make further pronouncements, but they must have a befitting burial and national honours.”

Advising members of the National Assembly on the rate of invitations to heads of MDAs, Tinubu said while oversight was essential to ensure transparency and accountability in governance, excessive summoning of officials could disrupt operations and hinder service delivery to citizens.

He urged lawmakers to show discretion in the exercise of their oversight functions.

The president stated, ”I have been watching various committees summoning ministers and heads of agencies. I have complained to the speaker to let the poor breathe. Let these people do the job. We are not saying that you are not influential. We are not saying you cannot do your oversight.

“But consider the primary duty of each agency, its personnel, or the responsibilities of the governor of the central bank or the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance to you and the entire nation.

“If they are distracted or disturbed, maybe we will shift parliamentary sitting all through the night. We must find a way to accommodate one another. This is an appeal to you. See if you can accept representatives in some instances or even documentations.”

The president, however, expressed confidence in the ability of the National Assembly to uphold good governance, and lauded the existing cordial relationship between the executive and the legislature. He said the harmonious working relationship had resulted in the expeditious passage of several bills to improve the welfare of Nigerians.

Tinubu urged the legislators not to forget their constituencies, saying they should take advantage of the holy month of Ramadan to show compassion and support the less privileged in society.

He told the legislators, “We are making sacrifices for the country, and we are assuring citizens that there is a very bright light at the end of the tunnel. We must have faith and, please, do not forget your constituencies and remember what they are going through.

“I cannot thank you enough for what you are doing, but it is for our country. There is nothing personal about this. It is for Nigeria, and we have no other country but Nigeria.”

Earlier, in his remarks, Abbas emphasised the importance of forgiveness, generosity, and prayers during Ramadan and called for unity in the country and support for Tinubu.

“I want to urge us to use this month to increase our good deeds and minimise our bad deeds,” he said.

Reflecting on the 10 months of the present administration, the speaker noted that the executive and legislature had continued to work in synergy for the progress of the country.

He said, “So far, so good, the House has been very supportive of the president and his policies, and we shall continue to ensure that we work together.”

Diri: Killers of Military Personnel Must Be Seen, Treated as Criminals

Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, stated that Bayelsa State, being a proud host to the headquarters of the joint services, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), Central Naval Command, Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Mobility Command, and Nigerian Army 16 Brigade, was outraged by the attack on the military personnel considered members of the communities and the state.

Diri said the government would continue to support the military and other law enforcement institutions in their mission in the state.

He directed all the commanders of security agencies in the state as well as the coordinator of the Bayelsa Community Safety Corps, Brig-General Eric Angaye (rtd), to scale up surveillance and patrol of the state’s borders and waterways.

The statement said, “The killing of our soldiers is barbaric, satanic and outright criminal. And anyone involved should be seen and treated as a criminal under our laws.”

The governor urged the people of the state, particularly residents of Igbomotoru community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, to remain calm, as the government would ensure that law-abiding citizens were protected and safe at all times.

Delta CP: Police Not Allowed into Okuama

Delta State Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, revealed that the army was yet to grant his men access into Okuama.  Abaniwonda said the area was currently volatile and deserted.

Speaking in an interview with Arise TV, yesterday, Abaniwonda said, “The situation in the Okuoma general area, not just the community, is calm for now. Most of the places are deserted.

“I will not like to say more than that because, like I said, it is an ongoing military operation and I think when these things are ongoing, things shouldn’t be said that might aggravate or pass information to those who are looking for it.

“You would recall that the Okuama and Okoloba communities had been having what I call a perennial land dispute over fishing rights. The unfortunate incident happened when military officers, who had gone on a peacekeeping operation, were ambushed and killed.

“When that incident happened, it became what I call a military operation zone. What I want us to do is to be careful of what we do with social media reports. Some of the reports are not very accurate. We have not been able to move into this community.

“Yes, it is our responsibility as a primary line in defence of community security, but when you have another sister agency conducting an operation, the reasonable thing to do is to wait for them to finish.

“We have not been allowed to get into Okuama because of the volatile nature of what is presently ongoing in the environment.

“When these things are ongoing, you must be collaborating. You must understand that technology has made some of these things easier and accessible and at the same time, made it difficult to be able to answer those questions appropriately.

“But I can assure you that very soon, we will be able to get in. We were in Bomadi. For us to get to Okoloba and Okuoma, you will need to get clearance.” Abaniwonda, however, stated that the force had intelligence officers available on the ground in the community.

According to him, “The Nigeria Police are the grassroots security agency. In any of these communities, we have an outpost of a divisional station manned properly by our personnel, who continuously give us informational updates on what is happening.

“When this incident happened, as is usually the case, the main perpetrators have disappeared into the creeks and the neighbouring states. You would understand that Delta State shares the same boundary with several states. These individuals who have been brought in have been questioned.

“The message that we gave to the communities is that for those who have nothing to hide, their security is guaranteed but I think it is too early to start telling you what they are saying. The manhunt is on

“These people mingle with the community, they disappear into the creeks. Everything is being done intelligence-wise. We are looking for these individuals to ensure that the directive of the Commander-in-Chief to bring them to book and bring them to justice is carried out. It is a collaborative responsibility and engagement.”

Senate to Military: Don’t Harass, Punish Innocent Nigerians in Niger Delta

The Senate Joint Committee on Defence, Army, Navy and Air Force, yesterday, told the military authorities not to harass or punish innocent citizens as they went after murderers of the officers and men in Delta State.

The committee had already begun to probe the recent killing of troops in Okuama community.

A member of the panel, Senator Gbenga Daniel, disclosed the caution to reporters after a meeting with the service chiefs in Abuja.

Daniel said it was also time for the country’s military to utilise technology and artificial intelligence to fish out criminals from their hiding places.

The Ogun East senator said, “It is a major affront and, of course, we have to continue to appeal for patience and understanding.

“We also decided that technology has been very important and that the armed forces must begin to utilise technology and artificial intelligence to track down the locations of some of these gangsters.

“By and large, we encourage them that they are doing a yeoman’s job protecting the assets of the nation.

“Without doubt, Delta State is very important as far as the custodians of the assets of our nation is concerned and whatever happens, we must make sure that only people who are guilty face the consequences.

“These are some of the things we spoke about. Of course, we also spoke about the need to continually support the armed forces with additional funding.”

On his part, Chairman of the panel, Senator Ahmad Lawan, told reporters that no investment could be too much for the country’s armed forces, to enable them secure the country.

Speaking after the closed-door meeting, Lawan said, “We have been briefed of what happened and this meeting was the first. We expect that we will also hold subsequent meetings when we have more information in respect to what has happened.

“But let me say this, the senate, particularly, and the National Assembly stand solidly with our armed forces.

“We will continue to support our armed forces and I want to also assure Mr. President that he took the right step when he gave that directive to our armed forces to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous and horrific crime by killing our officers and men in Okuama.

“There is no investment that an administration can do better than investing in the armed forces and other security agencies for them to secure us and our properties.

“I believe that this is what every Nigerian wants and that is what every Nigerian needs – secured lives, secured environment for businesses and other pursuit of life.”

On arrest of culprits, Lawan said, “Of course, the military will not spend any time without looking for those that have carried out those murders. Therefore, we are hoping that pretty soon they will be able to apprehend them and, of course, the law should take its full course.”

HURIWA: Tinubu Must Probe Alleged Reprisal Attacks by Military

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) asked President Bola Tinubu to investigate allegations by Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) that the military was on a reprisal mission in the communities.

HURIWA said the advice followed military operations in Igbomo-toru II community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, in which no fewer than 40 people had been killed since the early hours of Sunday.

National Coordinator of the rights group, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, stated that it was not enough that military spokesmen had dismissed similar allegations in the past few days and described them as mere propaganda.

It said since the allegations had been sustained with claims of mass killings by soldiers carrying out authorised internal security operations, it behoves the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to call his military commanders to order.

HURIWA also stated that the National Assembly should take immediate steps to ensure that, “if these allegations are factually accurate, then those responsible must be brought before the court of law to face charges of mass murders.”