UN to honour four fallen Nigerian peacekeepers

AS Nigeria awaits change of government from President Goodluck Jonathan to President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, in a landmark ceremony billed to be witnessed by over 40 government delegations from around the world, the United Nations (UN) Tuesday said four Nigerian fallen peace-keepers would be honoured same day.

Information provided by the UN Information Centre, which was made available to The Guardian, indicated that the Nigerian fallen peace-keepers would be honoured in a ceremony in far away UN headquarters in New York in an event to mark the International Day of United Nations Peace-keepers.

According to UNIC: “The Friday event will mark the seventh successive year in which the organisation will honour more than 100 ‘blue helmets’ who lost their lives the previous year while serving the cause of peace. Commemorative activities will be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, and at peace-keeping operations and offices around the world.

“The 126 peace-keepers – military, police and civilian – who lost their lives in 2014 while serving with the UN as a result of hostile acts, accidents and disease, will post-humously receive the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal at a ceremony at the UN Headquarters on 29 May.

“Among the fallen peace-keepers who lost their lives in 2014 and who will be honoured at the Headquarters ceremony are four from Nigeria: Lance Corporal Silas Danyawu and Lance Corporal John Julius from the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and Corporal Adama Ike and Sergeant Rabiatu Musa who both served with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).