Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, has condemned the killing of some soldiers of the Nigerian Army in Aba, Abia State on May 30.
Hoodlums often referred to as Unknown Gunmen had ambushed soldiers at Obikabia Junction Checkpoint in Obingwa Local Government Area, near Aba on Friday, killing five of them.
Mr. Tinubu drew parallels with the massacre of 17 Nigerian soldiers in Okuama community of Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State on March 14, who were ostensibly drafted to the community on a peacekeeping mission.
The president called these attacks “unwarranted, barbaric and evil acts”, that will no longer be “condoned and tolerated”. He said although he was intent on building a “peaceful and harmonious society,” no one should have the “illusion that the government will not act appropriately when the lives of our officers and men are wantonly taken”.
The president gave the security forces a marching order not only to “fish out the masterminds and perpetrators of the Aba attack but also those calling on people to stay at home.” He described such actions as “treasonable offense”.
Although the President mentioned the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by name, as culprit, the organization always absolves itself of any responsibility of violence. It insists its agitation for a separate sovereignty for parts of the country only follows a civil and peaceful process.
Leaders Intervene
Meanwhile, leaders of the SouthEast region have called on the military to exercise restraint in their response and seek out the perpetrators of the crime as is expected in a rules-based, civilized country. The demand comes against the backdrop of images on social media purportedly showing scenes of men in military uniform rounding off people arbitrarily in the Aba area.
Attack on security personnel is sadly a frequent occurrence in Nigeria – a county bedeviled by terrorism, mass killings, banditry and other forms of violent crimes in the last decade and a half.
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