Tuesday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio hinted that the people responsible for the deaths of Army men in Delta State might not be Nigerians, but rather mercenaries or foreigners.
The troops were on a peace mission to the Okuama Community in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State when they were ambushed and killed by armed persons on Thursday, March 14.
Akpabio voiced his opinion that the attackers were probably not from the Niger Delta region during a debate on two merged motions by Senators Abdulaziz Yar’Adua and Edeh Dafinone.
“We are not at war. I don’t think they are from the Niger Delta. They may be mercenaries,” Akpabio stated.
The Senate has ordered a probe into the killings.
In order to obtain additional details on the incident, the Senate Committee on Defense, Army, Navy, and Air Force has been charged with communicating with military authorities.
The Federal Government was also urged by the top legislative body to find the offenders and prosecute them. There was a moment of silence to honor the fallen soldiers.
In order to keep the military out of civil disputes, the Red Chamber also recommended hiring more police officers.
The Senate decided to promptly recompense the families of the fallen soldiers, although rejecting a suggestion to hold a minute of silence or to send condolences to the families of innocent people murdered in the tragedy. The Senate gave its reason for doing so: the number of civilian casualties was unknown.
