President Bola Tinubu has led top government officials, including service chiefs and other heads of security agencies to the funeral rites for the soldiers gruesomely murdered in Delta State at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
At the commencement of the rites, prayers were rendered for the repose of the souls of the slain soldiers.
It would be recalled that 17 personnel, comprising four officers and 13 soldiers, were murdered in Delta state during a peace mission
Tinubu at Burial of Slain Soldiers
President Tinubu use the ocasion to confer national honours on the 17 slain members of the Nigerian Army who were killed in Delta State on March 14, 2024.
This was as he announced the provision of housing facilities for the surviving family members and scholarships for all their children to the university level.
He also directed the payment of death benefits to the family members within 90 days.
He announced these during the burial ceremony of the slain servicemen at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
The President, who arrived the venue exactly 4:10pm, was accompanied by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
State governors on his entourage include: Abba Yusuf (Kano), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Hope Uzodinma (Imo) and their Bayelsa State counterpart, Duoye Diri.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla were present to pay final respects to the fallen heroes.
The Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas led members of the upper and lower chambers to honour the slain military personnel.
The slain military personnel responded to a distress call after a communal land dispute when they were gruesomely murdered.
The beheaded corpses of the slain soldiers were later recovered from a neighbouring river, while the stomachs and hearts of others were ripped off.
The Defence Headquarters later released the list of 17 military personnel killed in the attack.
The Defence Headquarters said 17 personnel including the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, two majors, one captain, and 12 personnel of the battalion were killed.
Authorities in Nigeria have continued to condemn their brutal murder
Tinubu had described it as an attack on the nation and gave marching orders to security agencies to fish out the masterminds of the attack. The President also said the slain military personnel will be conferred with national honours.