He made the statement while addressing troops at the 34 Artillery Brigade headquarters, Obinze, Owerri.

Buratai, who described the incident as 'unfortunate,’ said the military has brought the situation in the area under control.

He said: "the situation in the Niger Delta is presently being addressed.

"The activities of pirates, criminals and bandits will be checked; our troops are fully on ground and they have arrested the situation.

"The unfortunate incident of Thursday in Rivers state is something that we are currently investigating.

"We will deal with the situation as investigation unfolds in the area."

On the security situation in Imo, Buratai commended the efforts of the troops in containing criminality in the state.

He assured the troops of government's commitment to improve the condition of facilities in the barracks.

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Buratai said the welfare of troops and their families would be given priority by the President Muhammadu Buhari's administration.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Buratai also inspected facilities at the barracks in Obinze.