The military has said that there would be measured responses and injurious consequences for the perpetrators who killed personnel of the armed forces on a peace mission to Okuama Community of Delta State.
Director Defense Media Operation, Maj-Gen. Edward Buba disclosed this in a statement issued Monday while giving an update on the attack on troops of Operation Delta Safe in Okuama Community
TheHintsNews reports that the troops of Operation Delta Safe suffered a setback that resulted in loss of lives of gallant personnel of the armed forces.
Checks revealed that the personnel were on a peace mission to Okuama Community when members of the community launched unprovoked attacks on the unsuspecting troops killing the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, 2 Majors, 1 Capt and 12 personnel of the battalion.
Buba noted that the senseless and barbaric killings of these men was a tragedy, saying they were killed in a dehumanised and unspeakable manner.
He said: “The military assures that there would be measured responses and injurious consequences for the perpetrators of these dastardly act.
“Nevertheless, the armed forces being a disciplined force that complies with rules of engagement, laws of armed conflict and the respect for human rights would be tempered by these provisions. We would not be led by emotions, but by the rule of law.
“It is against this background that the military debunks all claims that the military embarked on reprisal attacks in Okuama Community after the incident. The community was desertered even before troops arrived the scene.”
Buba stressed that those involved in peddling these misinformation, disinformation and fake news that the military had embarked on reprisal attacks on the community following the incident, should desist from further dishonouring the fallen heroes.
He added that it behooves on the community leaders, elders and even the people of Delta State to assist investigation to identify the perpetrators of the dastardly act so that they could be held accountable for their actions.
The spokesperson pointed out that the dispute between Okuama and Okoloba communities remains unresolved, therefore, there could be untoward activities not initiated by the military.
He said there was no doubt that this was an extremely sad development and untoward activity by members of the Okuama community against troops that were there to protect them.
The military, therefore, urged the public to resist the temptation of allowing any videos of the incident of the killed personnel from going viral, saying their loved ones are still alive, even though they have died protecting the country and its citizens.