It was a torrent of tears and eulogies yesterday, as 20 out of the 36 military personnel killed during an ambush and air crash in Niger State were yesterday laid to rest at the national military cemetery in Abuja.
Minister Defence, Muhammed Badaru; minister of state for Defence, Bello Mohammed, Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, other service chiefs and representatives of Niger and Kaduna governments paid last respect to the fallen heroes.
Remains of the 20 officers killed in the combat/air crash arrived in the national military cemetery, Abuja, at about 12.00 hours on Friday for a solemn burial.
LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that two others had been released to the families for burial, while 14 others had already been buried at various locations by their families.
The bodies of the remaining 20 were committed to mother earth at about 2pm local time on Friday.
LEADERSHIP Weekend recalls that three officers and 22 soldiers were killed in an ambush by terrorists around Zungeru general area in Niger State.
Again, a NAF MI-171 Helicopter crashed on 14 August 2023 at about 1pm near Chukuba village in Niger State, while on casualty evaluation mission.
The aircraft evacuating the victims crashed with 14 previously killed in action soldiers, and seven wounded in action soldiers bringing the figure to 36 killed in action.
The Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, in his remarks at the burial, assured that the military will avenge the deaths and put an end to continuous attack on service personnel.
He directed commanders and field troops to smoke out criminals wherever they are and bring them to justice.
“Today is one of the most difficult days in every commander’s mind because when you have to bury your own, you feel highly pained but I want to assure the families that their death is not in vain.
“We appreciate them; we’ll pray for them and we’ll ensure that those people that did this must pay for it. And I use this opportunity to call all commanders, all troops all over Nigeria, that we must avenge this. Those that did this and those that continue to kill our men wherever they are we’ll get them out, we’ll smoke them and we’ll ensure that they never have the opportunity to kill any other person. That I assure you,” the CDS stated.
He said though they gathered with heavy hearts and tearful eyes to bid farewell to fallen heroes, it was also an opportunity to celebrate their lives and extraordinary contribution to the nation.
He reiterated that the gallant troops paid the supreme price while responding to a distress call at Chukuba community in Shiroro LGA of Niger State.
He said the fallen heroes exemplify what it means to serve and protect the nation.
“They were the vanguards of peace, the guidance of our freedom and the sentinels of our security. Their selflessness and unwavering dedication to duty will forever etched in our hearts and memories.
“Today we bid farewell to remarkable men who dedicated their lives to the noble cause of self-guarding our nation,” Musa added.
He promised to continue the legacy of the fallen heroes to restore peace in every corner of the country
The CDS stated: “We will honour your memories by continuing to fight against those who seek to undermine our peace and security. We will remain steadfast in our resolve to build a nation worthy of sacrifice. As we lay our falling heroes to us today, let us remember that their legacy lives in each and every one of us.
“Let’s carry their spirit of bravery and selflessness in our hearts as we go about our daily lives. Let us be inspired by the example to stand up against injustice to protect the weak and to strive for a better future for our nation”.
He charged every military personnel to honour the fallen heroes by redoubling their efforts to benefit a safe and prosperous Nigeria.
The fallen heroes are Late Maj SA Oni, Late FLT LT Anthony Duryumsu, Late Flight Lt Ibrahim Adamau, Late Lt. GM Odusami, Lt. US Alkali, Late Sgt. Faruk Mohamed, Late Cpl Ibrahim Garba, Cpl Chiroma Pogu, Late Cpl Adama Isaac, Late Cpl Haruna Jamilu, and Late Cpl Samaila Bashir.
Others are Late AB Suleiman MK (NN), Late Cpl Jauro Amos (NAF), Late LCPL Sunday Okopi, Late LCPL Ekpanyo Edetd,LCPL Alaribe Daniel (NAF),LCPL Brigss Stephen (NAF), Late LCPL Yakubu Ayuba,Late LCPL Nura Mohamed,Late Pte Tanko Waje, Late ACM Abubakar Abdulrahaman (NAF).
Only 20 of the corpses were buried at the national military cemetery.
Troops Kill 23 Terrorists, Arrests 137 Criminals
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said troops deployed for internal operations have killed 23 terrorists, arrested 137 criminals and rescued 41 kidnap hostages.
The director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, in a statement said 231 terrorists and families surrendered to troops within the period.
He said though the men and women of the armed forces are fighting and dying for the country daily; they have made great strides.
He added that the military will continue the momentum of its operations by mounting pressure on groups seeking to undermine the security of citizens and the nation.
He said the update on the operations across the 6 geopolitical zones as at 25 August 2023, revealed that the military neutralised 23 terrorists, arrested 109 criminals, five kidnappers, one informant, 22 suspected oil thefts and rescued 41 kidnapped hostages.
He added that 231 terrorists and their families comprising 25 adult males, 63 adult females and 143 children surrendered troops.
The director said the troops recovered 41 weapons and 300 assorted kinds of ammunition.
He gave a breakdown of recovered ammunitions as follows: 14 AK47 rifle, one AK49 rifle, two AK47 rifles loaded with 7.62mm special ammo, one PKT gun, one LMG, two pump action guns, two locally fabricated pistols, three locally fabricated rifle, two dane guns, one pistol, and two locally made long barrel guns.
The troops also recovered one AK47 rifle loaded with 30 rounds of 7.62mm special, one AK47 magazines, one magazine loaded with 30 rounds of 7.62mm special, 239 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, five rounds of 7.62 NATO, 44 rounds of PKT, five rounds of 9mm ammo and six cartridges.
Other items recovered include 13 motorcycles, 22 mobile phones, one bicycle, 10 machetes, and a pair of camouflage.
In the South South geopolitical zone troops recovered 682,400 litres of stolen crude oil, 70,950 litres of illegally refined AGO, 23,250 litres of DPK.
He said the recovered stolen crude has a street value of about N414,396.250 which was denied to the oil thieves.
NGOs, Relations Say 23,000 Missing In Boko Haram In Northeast
Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisations (NGOs) , Amnesty International, Allamin Foundation For Peace and Development ,and family members have declared that about 23,000 persons have been missing within the 13 years of Boko Haram insurgency in Borno and other parts of Northeast, with only 1,886 of them so far discovered.
To this end, the Ngos and the family members urged the Federal Government and the military to account for the thousands of the persons missing or arrested as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency over the period of the crisis in the state.
They made the call yesterday at a stakeholders dialogue and press conference on missing persons and enforced disappearances as a result of insurgency in the northeast held in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
According to the Country Director , Amnesty International, Isa Sanusi , the event is a lead up to the commemoration of the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearance which is coming up on 30th of August , 2023.
Sanusi said Amnesty International Nigeria held the press conference to urge Nigerian authorities to investigate all cases of missing persons and enforced disappearances arising from the insurgency in the northeast, to intensify its campaign against the government’s deafening silence on the fate of victims of enforced disappearances in the region.
He said, “Today’s programme is part of the annual solidarity and campaign for victims of Enforced Disappearance in Nigeria and across the world. This event is a lead up to the commemoration of the annual International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances on 30 August 2023.
“Our partner organizations have so far registered over 23,000 missing persons as a result of the insurgency in the north. Amnesty International believes those missing and enforced disappearances are much higher.
“Amnesty International urges Nigerian authorities to: Implement the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance effectively into national law.
“Ensure that enforced disappearances are thoroughly and effectively investigated, that suspects are prosecuted in accordance with international standards of due process, and that those found guilty receive punishments that are proportionate to the seriousness of the offense.
“Provide effective protection to persons who file complaints of missing persons and enforced disappearance, families of the disappeared person, witnesses and lawyers representing them.”
Over the last 13 years, especially between 2012 and 2017, the military during the war against the insurgents allegedly made “indiscriminate” and “rampant” arrests of suspected insurgents across communities in the affected states of northeast.
While the majority of those arrested were allegedly detained at Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, thousands were allegedly detained at facilities in Lagos, Kainji in Niger State, and other locations across the country.
According to the Executive Director Allamin Foundation for Peace and Development, Hamsatu Allamin, out of the “over 23,000” arrested by the military over Boko Haram insurgency, as agreed on by Amnesty International, 1886 have been released.
“Many of our people have been missing after being arrested by the military for the last nine years,” Mallam Musa Adam, representing the Boboshe community in Dikwa local government area of Borno State, complained.
Babagana Ibrahim, a teacher at Konduga LGA, alleged that his two brothers, Mohammed Ibrahim and his namesake, Babagana Ibrahim, were arrested by the troops at Bama on November 12, 2012.
“We want the government to tell us if they are dead or still alive,” he appealed.
“If repentant insurgents can be forgiven and even reintegrated into their communities, why not release those missing and forcibly disappearing as a result of being arrested for the insurgency?”, the Chairman of the Network of CSOs in the North-East and Lake Chad, Ambassador Ahmed Shehu, queried.
He called on governors of the states affected by the insurgency in the North East to set up investigative panels at their respective state levels on missing and forcibly disappeared persons to determine their whereabouts and state of living.
