The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has said that the military will hunt down and bring to justice, all terrorists, bandits and enemies of the state who had continued to destroy lives and properties.
Musa made the vow at the burial of military personnel who died recently in combat and air crash in Niger, on Friday in Abuja.
He assured the terrorists that the military would go after them and avenge the death of its personnel that were killed while defending the nation.
The defence chief said the day that military buries personnel was one of the most difficult days in every commander’s mind, adding that he felt highly pained to bury his officers and soldiers.
“But I want to assure the families that their death is not in vain. We appreciate them, we pray for them and we will ensure that those that did this must pay for it.
“I use this opportunity to call all commanders, all troops all over Nigeria, that we must avenge this.
“Those that did this and those that have continued to kill our men wherever they are, we will get them out, we smoke them out and we ensure that they never have opportunity to kill any other person. That I assure you.
“Today we gather here with heavy hearts and tearful eyes to bid farewell to our fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our nation.
“We stand there today to honor their courage, dedication and unwavering commitment to duty. Their lives were abruptly taken from us in the line of duty while responding to a distress call in the Chukuba community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger,” he said.
Musa said the event was to also celebrate their lives and extra extraordinary contributions they had made, adding that their selflessness and unwavering dedication to duty would forever be remembered.
He assured the deceased families that the military would stand with them in their grief and would continue to support them during this difficult time.
“These men and women laid down their lives so that we can live in peace and security. They fought on the front lines against the forces of evil and ensuring that the flavor of hood and liberty continue to bend right in our nation.
“Their courage and dedication will forever be an inspiration to all to follow their footsteps.
“To the families who have lost loved ones not withstanding our deepest condolences, we cannot begin to fathom the pain and sorrow that you are experiencing but know that deep in your heart, you are not alone in your grief.
“To our following heroes, we will honor your memories by continuing to fight against those who seek to undermine our peace and security.
“We will remain steadfast in our resolve to be the nation worthy of sacrifice.
“To the bandits, terrorists, and perpetrators of violence, we will haunt you down, we will bring you to justice and will restore peace and security to every corner of our nation,” he added.
Twenty bodies of the deceased personnel were buried amidst tears at the National Military Cemetery in line with military tradition.
Recall that three officers and 22 soldiers were killed in an ambush in Zungeru general area of the state while seven were wounded in action.
The NAF helicopter was on a mission to evacuate the deceased and wounded troops when it crashed at Chukuba area of Shiroro Local Government Area of the state on Auguust 13, 2023.
The crashed helicopter was conveying 14 bodies of the previously killed soldiers and seven wounded ones, with two pilots and two crew members.
The Minister of Defence and the entire military high command were present at the military cemetry to pay their last respect to officers who died in ambush.