The Senate Joint Committee on Defence, Army, Navy and Airforce Wednesday held a closed-door meeting with Service Chiefs over the abduction and killing of 16 Nigerian soldiers who were on a peace-keeping mission in Okuoma community of Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State.
The meeting had in attendance the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.
The meeting, which was presided over by presided over by the Committee Chairman, Sen. Ahmed Lawan, came following a resolution by the Senate during plenary on Tuesday, which mandated the committee to investigate the unfortunate incident.
The Senate had also saddled the committee with the task of ensuring that those responsible for the heinous crime are identified, apprehended, and brought to justice.
Sen. Lawan who spoke to journalists before the commencement of the meeting, called for a minutes’ silence in honour of murdered military personnel.
Describing the gruesome killing of the soldiers, Lawan appealed to Nigerians to support the Armed Forces by volunteering information that would lead to the capture and prosecution of those behind various forms of insecurity across the country.
“We, in the Senate, and, indeed, the National Assembly, will always support our military in whatever way we can. The National Assembly has that history,” he said.
“We try to, at all times, make meaningful appropriation for resources to be available. We know it has never been enough, and I will take this opportunity to commend our Armed Forces for doing so much with the little we can afford.
“The insecurity in our country takes precedence over any other consideration and, therefore, it is the position of the Senate that no investment in any sector can be more important than ensuring that we are secured as a country.
“We, therefore, are very sad as a parliament over this tragic incident. It is our hope in the Senate that those who perpetrated this barbaric and horrific act are captured, and the law takes full course on them.
“I want to appeal to Nigerians that this is our Armed Forces, and they cannot secure us without us as citizens playing our part.
“Therefore, every citizen is supposed to support our Armed Forces. And those in the area where this incident happened must volunteer information because this is the only way we can stop something like this from happening another time.
“The Senate also urged the Federal Government to ensure that those responsible for the heinous crime are identified, apprehended, and brought to justice.”