General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defense Staff, stated that the Nigerian Army was not enforcing the law when it issued a wanted list for certain individuals in connection with the tragic deaths of 17 policemen in the Delta State hamlet of Okuama.
Musa made this statement during a Wednesday interview that news crews saw on Arise Television.
Investigations into the recent killing of 17 soldiers had been requested by several Okuama residents and prominent legal figures to be handled by the Nigerian Police Force.
The legal elites also criticized the Police for turning over HRM Clement Ikolo, the traditional monarch of Ewu Kingdom in Delta State, to the Army.
Ikolo was reportedly one of the eight people the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, Abuja, had proclaimed sought in connection with the Okuama incident.
The senior lawyer contends that the Army’s investigation into the murder is not mandated by the Constitution.
Speaking about the accusations made against the Army, Musa stated, “It was premeditated simply because the groupings of criminals, cultists, and militants believe they are above board and make a lot of money from crude oil theft.
“They did this deliberately just because the commanding officer and his team were ensuring that any act of pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, or illegal refineries were eradicated from that region.
“The commanding officer was a gallant officer who had done well across the North. For him to be killed in such a manner as a chicken is unacceptable. We’re happy that the Commander in Chief has given us the mandate to recover the arms from the perpetrators.”
