‘They fought a good fight’ — Igala group mourns victims of attack on presidential guards

Uk’Omu Igala Organisation says the late Jauro Ibrahim Suleiman and Samuel Atta fought a good fight for defending Nigeria to their last breaths.

Uk’Omu Igala is an apex socio-cultural group in Kogi east senatorial district.

In a statement signed by its national leader, David Abutu, the two officers were among the 10 military personnel ambushed and killed by terrorists on Sunday.

They were killed when troops of 7 Guards Battalion and 167 Special Force Battalion conducted “clearance patrol” around Bwari area of the federal cpital territory Abuja, in response to intelligence that terrorists had threatened institutions in that area council.

The Defence Headquarters said its troops eliminated 30 of the terrorists.

A battalion is a unit under the guards’ brigade which is responsible for protecting the president.

TheCable had reported how the soldiers ran into an ambush during a routine patrol along the Kubwa-Bwari road on Sunday.

“The two late officers fought a good fight and have ultimately joined the long list of many Igala sons and daughters who have sacrificed their lives since the over a decade-long national battle against terrorists in diverse names — Boko Haram, the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), Ansaru, and now bandits, who have spread out their deadly operations in the north-west and north-central states,” the statement reads. 

The group urged the federal government to step up its fight against terrorism and intelligence gathering to forestall the loss of officers. 

“As we mourn these officers and condole with the immediate family members of the killed soldiers, we call on the federal government and the military to come up with a paradigm shift in the fight against terrorists,” it added.

“Before these soldiers were killed, there were reports that terrorists had camped in a forest around Bwari. Not much was done to dislodge them until they became entrenched and very bold to attack officers of the elite Guards Brigade in FCT.

“We cannot allow our forests to become forests of death, instead of sources of livelihood for the growing population, through diverse kinds of farming. We call on the military to wipe out terrorists from our forests so that law-abiding Nigerian citizens can live in peace and contribute to national development.”