The attack on Ali and his crew was targeted, and he emphasised Ali’s importance in fighting criminal activities and oil theft carried out by militants in the Niger Delta. Colonel Ah Ali and his unit were singled out, according to General Musa, because of their effective operations against oil theft.
In spite of the possibility of a more forceful reaction, he stressed, Ali chose to use communication instead of direct confrontation when determining the threat level in the Okuama community.
Concerning the military’s presence in Okuama, General Musa responded to objections by reiterating that, once sent on a mission, they have the right to capture criminals within certain zones.
He said, “The Okuama attack was premeditated by these militants who make a lot of money from crude oil.
“They believe that they are above the law, and they did this deliberately just because the commanding officer and his team were ensuring that any acts of pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft were completely eradicated from that region.
“And you can see that the Lieutenant Colonel himself was a gallant commanding officer. And he did extremely well in the North East, and we brought him here to the North Central, and he did well.
“For him (Colonel Ah Ali) to be killed just like a chicken, that is unacceptable to us. And we are happy that the Commander in Chief has given us the mandate to recover the arms of the perpetrators.” CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
