The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Festus Ahon, condoled with the military and the families of officers and soldiers who died in the attack.
Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has condemned, in very strong terms what he described as “the unprovoked killing of officers and soldiers attached to 63 Brigade at Okuama community, Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state.”
The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Festus Ahon, condoled with the military and the families of officers and soldiers who died in the attack.
He said, “The Government of Delta State is gravely disturbed by the violence and unprovoked killing of the officers and soldiers, which he described as alien to the culture of Deltans.
“This incident is despicable and not in sync with the culture and tradition of Deltans. It runs contrary to the values and path of peace that the state government is promoting as I have always emphasized in our more agenda to enhance peace and security.
“On behalf of the Government and good people of Delta State, I wish to condole, in particular, the families of the killed gallant officers and soldiers, the Nigerian Army and the Armed Forces of Nigeria in general, over this sad occurrence.
“The state government shall take all measures necessary to fish out all those behind this dastardly act and ensure they are made to face the full wrath of the law. Delta State is governed within the tenets of the rule of law and human decency.
“Acts such as this incident cannot and will not be tolerated. Meanwhile, all citizens and residents of the state are enjoined to remain law-abiding and the state government shall continue to take all measures to protect lives and property in Delta State.”
In the same vein, the senator representing Delta South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, popularly known as (JOT), has joined other well-meaning Deltans and Nigerians in condemning the gruesome murder of the 16 soldiers in Okuama community, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, describing the killings as needless and crisis taken too far.
In a statement personally signed by Joel-Onowakpo who is the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence, and obtained by SaharaReporters, commiserated with the military and the immediate families of the slain soldiers.
He called for a holistic investigation into the remote causes of the crisis that led to the unwarranted killing of innocent soldiers even as he emphasized the need for security agencies to go after the masterminds of the heinous crime.
Joel-Onowakpo who also sympathized with the families of those who lost their loved ones as a result of the crisis, called for immediate intervention of both the state and federal governments to avoid further escalation of the crisis.
He stressed the need for the military to tactically deploy intelligence in the pursuit of the masterminds to avoid the killing of innocent children and women of Okuama community who may not know those behind the dastardly act.
The senator, however, advised the people of Okuama community to join forces with the military to fish out the killers of the 16 gallant soldiers.
Okuama community in the Ughelli South Local Government Area and Okoloba community in the Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State had been engaged in land dispute for several decades.