ECOMOG veterans ask FG to bring home remains of fallen soldiers
- ECOMOG veterans have asked the Federal Government to repatriate the remains of Nigerian troops who died in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
- The association also wants a national memorial and an annual remembrance day for those who never came home.
- Defence Minister Christopher Musa said the government will look into the requests.
Veterans of Nigeria's peacekeeping missions in Liberia and Sierra Leone have asked the Federal Government to help bring home the remains of soldiers who died during those operations, so they can get a proper military burial in Nigeria.
The ECOMOG Veterans Association made the appeal on Thursday during a visit to the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, at the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Abuja. The delegation was led by retired Major General Ohifeme Ejemai, whose name also appeared as Ejimai in one account of the visit.
ECOMOG, the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group, was the West African peacekeeping force that operated from 1990 to 2000, starting in Liberia and ending in Sierra Leone. Thousands of Nigerian and other West African troops served in it, and many did not return.
According to the association, some Nigerian soldiers who died in the operations could not be brought home at the time because of the conditions on the ground, and were buried where they fell. The veterans want the ministry to help recover and repatriate those remains where possible.
For soldiers whose remains cannot be found, the association is asking for a national memorial to preserve their memory.
Remembrance day and history lessons
The veterans also want an annual ECOMOG Reunion and Remembrance Day, and say they plan to approach the ECOWAS Commission on the idea. They are asking the ministry to push for ECOMOG's history to be taught in military training institutions.
The association said much of the mission's history is still undocumented, and that it has begun recording veterans' experiences through research, interviews and first-hand accounts. A team of researchers is to be commissioned for the work.
A statement from the minister's special adviser, Leah Katung-Babatunde, said Ejemai also gave an update on surviving veterans and their readiness to keep contributing to national development and security, and urged the ministry to close documentation gaps.
Musa assured the delegation of the government's support, saying the sacrifices of those who died in Liberia and Sierra Leone would never be forgotten. He acknowledged the human and financial resources Nigeria committed to ECOMOG and said efforts to document records, casualties and historical assets would be completed.
The minister said the requests, including repatriation, the memorial and the curriculum change, would receive the necessary attention.
What happens next
The ministry has not given a timeline for any of the requests. For now, the veterans' push rests on follow-up with the ministry and, later, ECOWAS.
