Gunmen
Gunmen suspected to be youths from Okuoma community in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta are said to have ambushed and killed 16 officers and men of the 181 Amphibious Battalion of the Nigerian Army on peace mission in the area.
The Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, who made this known in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, disclosed that those killed were the commanding officer, a Lieutenant Colonel, two Majors, one Captain and 12 soldiers.
He stated that the troops were ambushed and killed while responding to a distress call arising from a clash between Okuama and Okoloba communities in Delta.
Gusau stated that the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, had directed immediate investigation and arrest of those involved in the heinous crime.
He added that the incident had been reported to the Delta State Government.
“The military, however, remains focused and committed to its mandate of maintaining peace and security in the country.
“So far, a few arrests have been made while steps have been taken to unravel the motive behind the attack,’’ he assured.
Sources said some of the recovered corpses were said to have been beheaded, while the stomachs and hearts of others were ripped off.
At the NDDC jetty in the coastal Delta community, the bodies of the commanding officer and the two killed majors were seen floating by the river bank as others were separated on land.
Meanwhile, the entire communities in Bomadi and Ughelli south local government areas of Delta State have been cordoned off by operatives of the 6 Division Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, who also oversees the 63 brigade in Asaba, the Delta State capital (NAN).
