A total of N185 million was presented on Monday as compensation to the bereaved families of security personnel killed during an attack by gunmen at Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of the state on Sept. 19.
Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, presented the compensation to the families in Owerri.
Recall that the gunmen had killed five security personnel attached to a military joint task force that was on a routine patrol in the area on that fateful day. More than six of their colleagues in the ‘Search and Flush Operation’ of the task force, who sustained various degrees of injuries in the attack, were also included as beneficiaries of the compensation.
Presenting the cash compensation to the families, Governor Uzodimma described the slain operatives as heroes and prayed to God to grant their various families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss and also to grant the survivors quick recovery from their injuries.
The governor noted that the occasion brought to light the insecurity challenges in Imo. “It is beyond what people think and it has a negative impact on the state,” he said.
Governor Uzodimma observed that the compensation was not the first time the state would compensate families of those killed while protecting Imo residents. He promised to continue showing love to the families and agencies affected by the insecurity in the state, to spur them in the discharge of their duties without fear or discouragement.
Uzodinma said he was aware that the Federal Government and the security agencies had different compensation plans for their personnel but noted that “this is an opportunity to appreciate the invaluable jobs the security agencies are doing in Imo.”
