President Bola Tinubu has extended a compassionate gesture to the families of the 17 soldiers who lost their lives during a peacekeeping mission in the Okuama community, Bomadi LGA of Delta state.
During the burial ceremony of the fallen heroes at the military cemetery in Abuja on Wednesday, Tinubu announced scholarships for the children of the deceased soldiers and posthumous national honours in recognition of their sacrifice.
President Tinubu conferred Members of the Order of Niger (MON) honour on four of the deceased officers, while the remaining 13 soldiers were posthumously awarded Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) medals.
Expressing heartfelt sympathy to the families of the fallen soldiers, Tinubu emphasized that their demise occurred while on a “mission of peace.”
During his address, Tinubu urged the elders of the Okuama community to collaborate with the military in identifying the perpetrators responsible for the tragic incident.
He assured the families of the deceased soldiers of the federal government’s unwavering support, announcing that each family would be provided with a house anywhere in the country.
“The federal government will provide a house in any part of our country to each of the families of the four officers and 13 soldiers,” Tinubu affirmed.
“The federal government has also approved scholarships to all the children of the deceased up to the university level.”
Furthermore, Tinubu directed the military to ensure that all the entitlements and benefits due to the families of the fallen soldiers are disbursed within the next ninety days.
The tragic incident, which occurred on March 14, claimed the lives of 17 personnel of the Nigerian Army during a peacekeeping mission in Delta state’s Okuama community. Both the federal and state governments have pledged to apprehend the perpetrators and ensure justice is served.
The names of the fallen soldiers are A.H Ali, D.E Obi, S.D. Ashafa, U. Zakari, Yahaya Saidu, Danbaba Yahaya, Kabir Bashir, Abdullahi Ibrahim, Bulus Haruna, Sole Opeyemi, Bello Anas, Alhaji Isah, Clement Francis, Abubakar Ali, Adamu Ibrahim, Hamman Peter, and Ibrahim Adamu.
