• The 17 soldiers were killed while trying to end illegal oil bunkering – General Musa
Chief of Defence Staff, Nigeria Army, General Christopher Musa, has said that the army has identified the person responsible for the attack and killing of 17 soldiers from 181 Battalion who were on a peace mission to Okuama community in Delta State.
The army chief revealed that the military is following up with the suspected criminal, and that it is only a matter of time before he is caught.
The CDS in an address, stated that the Commanding officer of the 181 Amphibious Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel AH Ali had been a target for his efforts to put an end to illegal oil bunkering in the area.
General Musa said, “We know who did this, we are following up with him, and it’s just a matter of time, we are sure we are going to get him.”
He added; “I know him, the CO himself, Lieutenant Colonel Ali, of recent, because we were emphasising that we want the oil production of Nigeria to increase so that we will be able to have enough foreign exchange so that things can really go down because we all know the challenges we are facing.
“And so, he insisted that all illegal activities within the general area must stop. So, he directed all his troops and they were stopping all these illegal bunkering, stopping all these things. And then, these are the people benefitting from it. And so, when this issue came, it came as an opportunity for them to also do away with him, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Explaining further on the tragedy, General Musa said; “Basically, it was a community clash that was happening and those are his own area of responsibilities. And that was why he responded when initially, his soldiers, some soldiers were apprehended by the communities.
“We know that because of these issues of bunkering, we have a lot of pirates, militants that are still operating in the area, and they have a lot of funding because of the area at which it’s been carried out. So, they always have a lot of arms with them.
“These are people they know and that’s why when he heard it, he felt that these are my community, these are the people I know, and he went to say, oh, this thing that you’re doing is not right, whatever it is within the community, we can do it, invite the stakeholders, let them come and handle it in a single mission and all these things, and the community said okay.
And as they turned to go, they were rounded up, killed – not only killed, they were dismembered.
“And I don’t know what kind of human being that can go to that extent – to go for the life of people that came on a peace mission, and that’s something that must be looked at.”