Senate Committee Declares Support For Military Following Soldiers Killing In Delta State

Senate Committee Declares Support For Military Following Soldiers Killing In Delta State

Following the tragic killing of seventeen military personnel in Okuama, a community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State last week, the Senate Committee on Defence has said that securing Nigeria takes precedence over any other consideration.

Chairman of the Committee and former Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, stated this on Wednesday during an investigative hearing on the May 14 incident.

The hearing which held behind closed doors in Abuja had in attendance the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla. However, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, was represented.

After the hearing, the upper chamber pledged its support for the military in tackling the security challenges confronting the nation.

We, in the Senate, and, indeed, the National Assembly, will always support our military in whatever way we can. [And] the National Assembly has that history. We try to at all times make meaningful appropriation for resources to be available. We know it has never been enough and I will take this opportunity to commend our Armed Forces for doing so much with the little we can afford,” Lawan was quoted in a statement by his spokesman, Ezrel Tabiowo.

He also called on the Delta community to avail security of information that will lead to the arrest of the perpetrators of the act.

“The insecurity in our country takes precedence over any other consideration and, therefore, it is the position of the Senate that no investment in any sector can be more important than ensuring that we are secured as a country.

“We, therefore, are very sad as a parliament over this tragic incident. It is our hope in the Senate that those who perpetrated this barbaric and horrific act are captured and the law takes full course on them.

I want to appeal to Nigerians that this is our Armed Forces and they cannot secure us without us as citizens playing our part. Therefore, every citizen is supposed to support our Armed Forces. And those in the area where this incident happened must volunteer information because this is the only way we can stop something like this from happening another time.”