4 months ago
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Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, Abia senators and organizations have condemned the killing of two police officers in Aba last Friday and the wounding of two others, as well as the death of a 14-year-old boy who was killed by a vehicle while fleeing from the scene of the incident.
The Abia senators, Senators Orji Uzor Kalu, Enyi Abaribe, and Austin Akobundu, as well as the Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development, Nigeria, the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, and the Abia State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, condemned in strong terms the dastardly act.
The two policemen who lost their lives were 36-year-old Inspector Augustine Ogbudu from Cross River State and Superintendent of Police, Eziekel Sunday, from Kebbi State, while Inspector Odochi Adiele and one other police officer were wounded and receiving treatment in different hospitals in Aba.
Also, a 14-year-old teenager lost his life during the attack while fleeing from the scene and was killed by a vehicle.
The teenager has been identified as Chikwere Edmond Nkemakolam, a student of Evangel Seminary School, Ovom, in Aba.
Governor Otti had on Saturday assured the families of the two slain policemen that security agencies in the state would fish out the perpetrators, even as he commiserated with them over their losses.
He described the incident as unfortunate, vowing that his government would fish out the perpetrators, regretting that the attack was coming a few weeks after a similar incident that involved five soldiers.
He assured that there would be a change in strategy to deal with it.
Expressing the belief that by the time investigations are over and all the intelligence gathered is put together, the government would actually know where the attacks are coming from, emphasising that his government would not succumb to the blackmail.
He added, “We believe that something is wrong, and our government is not going to succumb to this kind of blackmail and we are going to fish them out wherever they run to.
The senator representing Abia North, Kalu, described the death of the police officers as “painful,” and urged relevant authorities in the country to ensure that the perpetrators are fished out.
His Abian South counterpart, Abaribe, regretted that this was coming a few weeks after the killing of five soldiers in Aba, and called for concerted efforts by security agencies in the state in particular, and Nigeria in general to take appropriate steps to stem the tide in the state.
Senator Akobundu said, “These acts are unacceptable in Abia State. All hands should be on deck to fish out the killers.”
The three Abia senators commiserated with the Nigerian Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, and the families of the deceased over the loss and urged them to take heart.
In a statement by the President General, COSEYL, Comrade Goodluck Ibem, the youths described the attacks on security agencies in the state as a plot to make the state ungovernable and condemned the attack on the policemen, adding, “It is very unfortunate and heartbreaking that some persons under whatever guise will allow themselves to be used to kill their fellow human beings without any reason whatsoever. This killing is barbaric, villainous, wicked, and senseless, and we condemn it in its entirety.
“The sponsors, promoters and actors of these killings and attacks on security agents in Abia State is a well-calculated attempt by these anti-democratic forces to make Abia ungovernable, but their plans are dead on arrival.”
FENRAD, Nigeria, noted, “In the security landscape of Abia State, an ugly trend is unfolding, especially in Aba, the Enyimba city and its suburbs. In less than two months, personnel of the military and police on internal security enforcement have had to pay the ultimate price as victims felled by unknown assassins.”
FENRAD, a pro-democracy and environmental rights advocacy group based in the state in its statement signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, said, “The fact that these murderers limit their evil operation to Aba and its suburbs speaks volumes. There is now a compelling need to increase intelligence gathering in the Aba coordinates as a preemptory security measure. Also, the dynamics and trends of these killings need to be subjected to critical scrutiny to enable a better appreciation of the current situation and to meet the current challenges with strategic, tailored and targeted rapid response. The enemy must not get off scot-free.”
Abia PDP, in a statement signed by the state Vice Chairman/acting State Publicity Secretary, Abraham Amah, said, “That day was another sad day for Abia, and the news of the killing of the policemen by yet-to-be-identified people came to us as a rude shock, considering that Abia State is still dealing with the unpleasant consequences of the killing of soldiers at Obikabia Junction, also in Aba, barely a month ago. This is one killing that has become too many, and Abia PDP condemns this barbaric act in totality.
“This developing trend of killing security officers in Abia State is very dangerous, calls for a moment of solemn reflection for the government, and should not be treated as a political case study of blame games because it creates a lot of opportunities for the intelligence community to wrongly profile Abia State as a security flashpoint, even though Abia was the most peaceful state in the South East in the recent past.”
The party therefore advised the Otti government to “rejig its security architecture and ensure that it collaborates with relevant agencies to become more preventive in its approach to securing the lives and properties of Abians.”
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