By Kingsley Omonobi

ABUJA—THE Federal Government has released N3 billion as death benefits to the families of 800 soldiers killed by Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, four years after their breadwinners died in service.

It was learned that government had kept to its promise of paying death benefits and released billions of Naira for payment to families of military personnel across the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Those of troops killed in 2010, 2011 and 2012 were duly paid to their families. However, when it got to the turn of families of soldiers and officers killed in 2013 (825 of them), only 24 families were paid, leaving a backlog of 801.

While the 801 were waiting to hear from the authorities, families of the next batch of dead officers and soldiers for 2014, 2015 started receiving benefits, which prompted the 2013 batch to cry out and protest ‘ill-treatment.’

Vanguard learned that following the intervention of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, the military authorities have now commenced the process of paying the families of the 801 soldiers.

Families of the dead soldiers, depending on rank and positions, are to receive sums ranging from N1 million, N2 million, N3 million, N5 million to N8 million.