‘Killers of soldiers could be foreign mercenaries’ — Akpabio

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said on Tuesday that those involved in the killing of soldiers in Delta State may be foreigners.

During a peace mission to Okuama Community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State on Thursday, March 14, some armed men attacked and killed 17 Nigerian Army personnel.

Akpabio expressed his opinion that the individuals who killed the soldiers might have been hired guns during a Tuesday debate on two merged motions introduced by Senators Edeh Dafinone of the APC, Delta Central, and Abdulaziz Yar’Adua of the APC, Katsina Central.

He said, “We are not at war. I don’t think they are from the Niger Delta. They may be mercenaries.”

The Senate then ordered an investigation into the killings, directing its Committee on Defence, Army, Navy, and Air Force to consult with military authorities to learn more about the remote and immediate causes of what it described as “a dastardly act.”

The Red Chamber also urged the Federal Government to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice, as it observed a minute of silence in memory of those killed.

It also advocated for the recruitment of more police officers so that the military would not be drawn into civil disputes.

The Senate, on the other hand, rejected a request to observe a minute of silence or to express condolences to the families of innocent civilians killed in the process, citing the fact that their numbers remain unknown.

While the Senate rejected the National Emergency Management Agency’s additional prayer for relief materials for the community, the Upper Chamber agreed that the families of the killed soldiers should be compensated immediately, as moved by Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau and seconded by Senator Tony Nwoye.