Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army yesterday buried the 11 soldiers killed by bandits at Kampanin Doka Village in Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The soldiers, killed on March 20, were operatives of a special force executing the army’s Exercise Aya Akpatuma (Rat Race).
Among them were Privates Olabode Hammed, Bamidele Adekunle Emmanuel, Owhochukwu Christian Chigoziri, Adamu Muhammed, Lamara Ahmed and Mubarack Suleiman. Others were Privates Bashir Dani, Usman Abubakar Halo, Nafiyi Iliyasu, Sefiyanu Ahmed and Alhassan Ibrahim.At the burial, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, said the death of the soldiers would not deter the army from protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
According to him, the bandits that perpetrated the dastardly act won’t be spared as the Nigerian Army would do all within its powers to arrest and bring them to book. Buratai told the families of the deceased to accept the death of the gallant officers as an act of God, saying “from God we came, and to God we will return.”
The General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. Mohammed Mohammed stood in for the Chief of Army Staff.“ In the morning of 20th March 2018, able- bodied men who came into this job barely a year ago to serve the country paid the supreme sacrifice defending their country.
“Could they have sacrificed their lives to aid those who killed them? All of us will join them, it is only a matter of time. To have been trained for six months and to have received additional training, and now to be cut short is really painful. “We assure that we will not relent in our efforts at arresting those who killed them. Their blood was not shed in vain. Their memories remain with us.
“We assure Nigerians that we would continue to do our duties, regardless of this. We assure that every part of this country, every part under one division would be secured,” he said. Buratai assured the families of the slain soldiers of continuous support. “If any other member of the family wants to join the army, do not discourage them. We condole you on the loss of your people, but we assure you, their death is not in vain.
The deceased were honoured with 21 gun salutes. Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, during the burial, announced N500,000 as support to each of the bereaved families.
El-Rufai made the announcement through the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Lawal Balarabe, who represented him at the event. The cheque of N5.5m was presented to the General Officer Commanding 1Division.
“The soldiers fought gallantly to protect our lives and property, but paid the supreme price. The state government would not relent in supporting security agencies in ensuring that their killers are brought to book,” the governor said.
Meanwhile, troops of 23 Nigerian Army Brigade, Operation Lafiya Dole have arrested three Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.
The Spokesman of the Army, Brig-Gen. Texas Chukwu, who disclosed the arrest yesterday in a statement, said the suspected Boko Haram insurgents were arrested at Ngurore, following a tip-off from residents of the community.
Chukwu named the arrested terrorists as Adam Yagga, Musa Kamsulum and Abba Djidoum. According to him, the trio are from Darajimal in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.
He said Djidoum, who had gunshot wounds on his thigh, confessed to operating with the Boko Haram terrorists on the fringes of Izza, Wudula and Blakule in Bama council. He added that the suspect was undergoing a preliminary investigation with 23 Brigade Provost Company.
“We commend patriotic members of Civilian vigilante (Civilian JTF) for their resilience and continued cooperation with troops,” Chukwu said.
He reminded the Boko Haram fighters that the window of opportunity to embrace the Federal Government Amnesty programme was still open to them. He said they should surrender and lay down their weapons.
_________
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2018 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.
