Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has condemned the killing of at least 16 military personnel including a commander by a group of youth in the southern state of Delta.
President Tinubu said the ''unprovoked killing of our brave military personnel'' was ''dreadful.''
The Nigerian military officers were on a mission to halt communal violence when they "were surrounded by some community youths and killed on Thursday, March 14," the military said.
Gallant soldiers
"The reinforcement team... was also attacked, leading to the deaths of the commanding officer, two majors, one captain, and 12 soldiers," a military spokesperson Brigadier General Tukur Gusau had said in a statement.
''As the Commander-in-Chief, I join all well-meaning Nigerians and the men and women of our armed forces to mourn and express my profound grief over the needless death of our gallant soldiers,'' President Tinubu said in a statement on Sunday.
''The military high command is already responding to this incident. The cowardly offenders responsible for this heinous crime will not go unpunished. This incident, once again, demonstrates the dangers faced by our servicemen and women in the line of duty,'' the Nigerian leader added.
Unconscionable crime
''Members of our armed forces are at the heart and core of our nationhood. Any attack on them is a direct attack on our nation. We will not accept this wicked act,'' Tinubu vowed.
''The Defence Headquarters and Chief of Defence Staff have been granted full authority to bring to justice anybody found to have been responsible for this unconscionable crime against the Nigerian people,'' he explained.
Nigerians on social media have also been paying tributes to the slain military personnel and calling for the perpetrators to be punished and the families of the deceased to be taken care of by the authorities.
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