Captain Umar Aliyu Babangida, a former Army intelligence officer, has expressed shock at the deaths of 12 other officers and four senior officers in Delta State at the hands of Bomadi community members. He mentioned how the 181 Amphibious Battalion was used to its domain. He stressed the battalion’s incorporation into the community, drawing comparisons to regional police departments or other government organizations in the Bomadi region.
He described the situation as a national tragedy but expressed confidence that similar incidents can be prevented in the future. According to the Captain, the argued that there are equipment that could be deplored in the armed forces operation that will prevent such tragedy from occurring.
It was gathered that the slain military personnels responded to a distress call after the communal crisis between the Okuama and Okoloba communities in Delta State before they were killed. The NDDC Jetty in Delta State confirmed that the bodies of three senior officers were seen floating by the riverside as others were separated on the land. The Chief of Defence staff, Christopher Musa has ordered a probe into the tragic killing of the four Senior Officers and the 12 soldiers.
He said in an interview with Arise TV, ”We are going to be looking at the soldiers lost and we are going to be looking at the costs invested in them that is gone. We are going to be looking at the equipments. We are going to be looking at the widows that have been created. It’s indeed a national tragedy. But I’m confident about this assertion that it is avoidable going forward.
This kind of thing is avoidable because the 181 Amphibious Battalion is not new to its area of responsibility. The 181 Amphibious Battalion is a member of that community. Just the way any police station or any government agencies that is located within the Bomadi area. For the people of Bomadi to turn around and prey on their own gives me goosebumps.”
