The burial of the 17 killed soldiers in Delta State has begun with the arrival of their remains conveyed to the Military Cemetery in Abuja.
The remains of the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, two majors, one captain, and 12 personnel of the battalion would be interred at the military cemetery.
The remains of the soldiers gruesomely murdered by vicious residents of the riverine village when the men in uniform were on a peace mission to warring Okuama and Okoloba communities in the area will be interred with full military honour.
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said on Wednesday that President Bola Tinubu will be at the solemn event in “honour of our men of gallantry and valor” who paid the supreme price.
The slain military personnel responded to a distress call after a communal land dispute when they were ambushed and gruesomely murdered.
They were beheaded and their corpses dumped in a river which were later recovered, 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, adding that they the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, two majors, one captain, and 12 personnel of the battalion were killed.
The killings of the soldiers had attracted national outrage from authorities and different quarters in Nigeria. Tinubu described it as an attack on the nation and ordered security agencies to arrest the culprits.
The President also said the slain military personnel will be conferred with national honours.
The Senate, host Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, as well as civil society organisations have condemned the gruesome murder of the soldiers and called for the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators
