The Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, ordered security operatives to immediately locate and rescue all those abducted recently by the Boko Haram sect while carrying out oil exploration research in the Lake Chad Basin Frontier Exploration.
The order was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande.
Akande quoted the acting president as saying that those who carried out the ambush, which he described as an unacceptable and criminal conduct, must be brought to justice.
He said Osinbajo, after an emergency meeting with military chiefs, last Thursday, issued fresh directives to the Nigerian military and all security agencies to immediately scale-up their efforts and activities in Borno State in order to maintain a strong, effective control of the situation and secure lives and property.
The statement read, “while commending the military for the progress already recorded with the rescue of some of the abducted, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has also ordered the continuation of search and rescue missions to locate and ensure the freedom of all remaining abducted persons as soon as possible, using all available and expedient means in the circumstances.
“He adds that justice would be pursued for the victims and against those who engage in this kind of unacceptable, criminal and terrorist conduct.
“Acting President Osinbajo pays tribute to the resilience, courage and bravery of officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for their gallant endeavours and sacrifices for the peace, security and territorial integrity of our country.
“He eulogises the Nigerian soldiers who have paid the ultimate price in this mission and others linked to the current insurgency and gives a firm assurance that the welfare of the families of the soldiers will be prioritized.
“He also commends the diligence of the management and staff of the NNPC, and the lecturers/consultants from the University of Maiduguri in pursuing Federal Government’s resolve to grow our country’s current crude oil reserve base through potential exploration in the Lake Chad Basin, stressing that the government will by no means be dissuaded.”
Osinbajo was further quoted as saying that the nation would never forget the sacrifice of the officials who he said put their lives on the line the current and future generations of Nigerians would the resources of the land.
He noted that the objective of the patriotic exercise carried out by the victims was to open up new areas for oil exploration for the common good of all Nigerians.
He regretted that the terrorist attack resulted in a number of deaths of hardworking and innocent Nigerians, and the abduction of some.
The acting president described the victims as “extraordinarily selfless Nigerians from the NNPC and the University of Maiduguri,” saying they “put their lives on the line that we and generations to come will enjoy the resources of this land. We will never forget that sacrifice.”
Osinbajo also paid “tribute to the resilience, courage and bravery of officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for their gallant endeavours and sacrifices.”
He commiserated with the families, relatives and associates of those who lost their lives in the onslaught and wished the injured speedy recovery.
Last week, Boko Haram attacked some geologists and their aides who were on an oil exploration to Lake Chad Basin when they were ambushed.
The Army has since confirmed that at least 14 soldiers, 11 civilian joint task force (CJTF), and five staff of the university were killed in the attack and subsequent rescue efforts.
The university staff were subcontracted by the NNPC for the exploration exercise.
At least, four staff of the university are still missing with three of them in the custody of the terror group.
The three were shown in a recent Boko Haram video begging the government to negotiate for their release.
“Osinbajo condemns the appalling ambush, attack and abduction of soldiers, and civilians who were carrying out their duties to the nation in the Lake Chad Basin Frontier Exploration,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has expressed regrets over a statement it issued following the ambush and abduction of some oil workers in Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists.
This comes four days after the ambush and a day after Boko Haram released a video of three of the abducted members of the oil exploration team.
It would be recalled that a day after the incident, the Army had said the oil workers had been rescued.
However, the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen Sani Usman, said the initial statement was regrettable.
He disclosed this in a fresh statement, yesterday, which revealed that 21 more bodies of those ambushed had been recovered.
Describing the ambush as “as unfortunate and highly regrettable”, Usman said his initial statement that all the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) workers abducted in the ambush had been rescued was wrong.
“Most regrettable also is my earlier release on the said incident about the rescue of all NNPC staff. The error in the statement was not deliberate,” he said.
He assured Nigerians that the Army “in this present dispensation is reputed for timely dissemination of information on activities of our troops in all theatre of operations”.
He added, “We have strived to keep the public informed on our activities with no intention of distorting any fact.
“Our troops have doubled efforts in the pursuit of the Boko Haram terrorists while search and rescue are still ongoing to secure the safe return of the remaining civilians.”
While reassuring Nigerians of its commitment to tackling the terrorists, the Nigerian Army condoled with the families of all that lost their loved ones in the ambush.
For those still missing, it said search and rescue efforts are ongoing, adding, “We are counting on the goodwill and support of the populace in volunteering valuable information that could help in the search and rescue operation.”
On the renewed attacks by the terrorists, it said, “What the remnants of the Boko Haram are doing is pure criminal activities of kidnapping to gain funds. This has been noted and will be jointly addressed in conjunction with other Security Services.”