BREAKING: Okuama massacre: Tears as 17 soldiers are buried in Abuja

The funeral services for the 17 military personnel who lost their lives in the Okuama community in Delta on March 14 have been conducted.

The bodies of the soldiers were interred at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja on Wednesday, arriving at approximately 2:26 pm, following the observance of burial rites.

President Bola Tinubu, along with Service Chiefs and other notable figures, attended the burial ceremony.

Recalling the tragic event, the troops from the 181 Amphibious Battalion in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State were ambushed and killed by enraged youths during a peace mission to Okuoma Community. This occurred in response to a distress call amid a communal crisis between Okuoma and Okoloba communities.

The personnel included a Lieutenant Colonel, two Majors, one Captain, and 13 soldiers. Among the officers were Lt. Col. A.H Ali, Maj S.D Shafa, Maj D.E Obi, and Capt U Zakari. The fallen soldiers were SSgt Yahaya Saidu, Cpl Yahaya Danbaba, Cpl Kabiru Bashir, LCpl Bulus Haruna, LCpl Sola Opeyemi, LCpl Bello Anas, LCpl Hamman Peter, LCpl Ibrahim Abdullahi, Pte Alhaji Isah, Pte Clement Francis, Pte Abubakar Ali, Pte Ibrahim Adamu, and Pte Adamu Ibrahim.