Abia Gov, Otti, Condoles Army, Families of Slain Soldiers, Vows to Smoke Out Killers
*Says governance must be devoid of politics to serve people better
*Kalu: No justification for killing soldiers
*Go after killers, not innocent citizens, LP urges military
Chuks Okocha, Juliet Akoje in Abuja and Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia
Abia State Governor, Mr. Alex Otti, has said the gunmen responsible for the killing of five men of the Nigerian Army in Aba would be “smoked out” and served justice wherever they might be hiding.
Otti, however, stated that governance would be most impactful on people’s wellbeing if it was not mixed up with politics.
That was as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, declared that there was no justification for the killing of military officers on duty by yet-to-be identified gunmen.
At the same time, the leadership of the Labour Party (LP) denounced the brutal killing of five soldiers deployed to protect citizens in Abia State over the Biafran Day celebration.
But LP said the military should go after the killers and not the innocent citizens.
Otti spoke weekend when he paid a condolence visit to the army and the wives of the dead soldiers at the headquarters of the 144 Infantry Battalion of the Nigeria Army in Asa, Ukwa West Local Government of Abia State.
The five soldiers were felled by bullets of yet to be identified “criminal elements” who attacked an army post last Thursday at Obikabia in Obingwa Local Government Area.
Otti commiserated with the army and the widows, and announced a welfare package to take care of the families of the fallen soldiers.
It included scholarships up to university level for the children.
“From today, until they graduate, they have become the responsibility of the Abia State government and we’re going to make it a law so that even when I leave (office) somebody else will not stop it,” Otti stated.
He told the widows that irrespective of any assistance the army leadership would give them, the Abia State government would also look after them “because your husbands died here in Abia, we have adopted you as daughters of Abia and your children as children of Abia”.
The governor also thanked the Nigeria Army high command for de-escalating the palpable tension and fear generated across Abia, especially Aba, following suspicion that troops would embark on indiscriminate reprisal attacks.
The Brigade Commander, Brig-General Diya, had earlier told the governor that the army was not relenting in its efforts to apprehend the perpetrators of the heinous act.
He said they had been gathering intelligence that would help bring to book whoever was directly or remotely connected to the killing.
Diya said aside from the five men that were lost, two operational vehicles belonging to the army were burnt and weapons carted away during the attack.
Equally at a state banquet by his government to celebrate the 76th birthday anniversary of the former Senate President, and Chairman, Board of Trustees of Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, Otti spoke about the essence of governance.
Otti said it had always been difficult for Nigerian politicians to differentiate between governance and politicking, hence, they still played politics even after election was lost and won and government inaugurated.
According to him, immediately the results of an election are declared and government inaugurated, politics should cease as governance takes over.
“If I build roads, retrofit our hospitals and remodel our schools, will members of PDP, APC, LP, APGA, ADC, and other parties not use it?” he asked.
He added that he was elected to serve everybody irrespective of their political leaning.
Former Minister of Environment, Dame Laurentia Mallam, called on other governors to emulate the Abia State governor and remove partisan bias in governance.
Another PDP chieftain and former Enugu State Governor, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, also appreciated the governor’s non-partisan disposition to rival party members.
Kalu: No Justification for Killing Soldiers
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, declared that there was no justification for the mindless killing of military officers on duty by yet-to-be identified gunmen.
Kalu spoke yesterday when he paid a condolence visit to the 144 Infantry Battalion Headquarters in Asa, Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State.
According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Levinus Nwabughiogu, the deputy speaker, who was accompanied to the visit by some members of the House as well as the members of Peace In South East Project (PISE-P), condemned the act.
He backed the directives of President Bola Tinubu to the security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime and bring them to justice.
Commending the military for maintaining peace in the region through a non-kinetic means, Kalu regretted the recent move by some criminal elements to scuttle the gains so far recorded.
He appealed to the military to be soft on the people while combing the city and its environs, pleading with them not to allow the innocent suffer unduly.
Kalu stated, “In a time when we are trying to see how to encourage the soldiers who we believe need more for the sacrifice they make for this nation, the police, they need more, all the security agencies, they need more; at a time when we in parliament are struggling to see how we can better their lives, people are carrying guns.
“What a pain. Whatever made them to do this, it’s a painful thing for this country. That is why all of us are rising boldly to condemn it, to condemn this act in its entirety.
“I’m happy Mr. President stood up and spoke firmly against this because he is a lover of peace. Mr. President attended my peace in South-east initiative launching by sending the vice president to Bende for us to flag off this peace initiative.
“To hear again that the same state where he went to flag of peace initiative that is based on non-kinetic is the same they came to cause havoc, will not make any leader happy.
“We are standing by all that Mr. President said that you have to find those who did this but in doing so, may the innocent not suffer.”
The Brigade Commander of the 114 Battalion, Brigadier O. O Diya, who received the deputy speaker, said efforts were already ongoing to apprehend the killers.
Diya said, “We can assure you, Sir, that those that committed this, we will look for them. We will find them and we will smoke them out wherever they are.
“Efforts are already in place to ensure that we find them and make them pay for what they have done for making these women go through this pain, this irreparable pain. It’s very unfortunate.”
Go After Killers, Not Innocent Citizens, LP Urges Military
The leadership of Labour Party (LP) strongly denounced the brutal killing of five soldiers deployed to protect citizens in Abia State during the Biafra Day celebration on Thursday.
It, however, called on the military to go after the perpetrators to avoid any collateral damage on the side of the innocent and law abiding citizens.
LP also commended the Abia State governor, Alex Otti, for his prompt action by pledging to support the military in whatever possible means to ensure that the culprits were brought to book and for also announcing a N25 million bounty on the perpetrators of the heinous crime.
A statement by National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, said, “While we commiserate with the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, and the entire military command on the unfortunate incident and pray for the repose of the souls of the gallant heroes, we are, however, worried by the threat by the military command to avenge the death of the soldiers. We urge the military to be professional in their approach for vengeance in order to avoid further loss of lives.
“Unknown gunmen or whatever names they chose to bear do not deserve to be spared. They have caused untold and unnecessary pains to the South-east and deserve to be wiped out, but we urge that the military response to this latest act of provocation must be measured and targeted at these elements alone.”
