NIGERIAN President Bola Tinubu has condemned the mindless killing of soldiers in Abia State in the country’s southeast geopolitical zone, describing it as “treasonable” and “unwarranted barbaric and evil acts.”
Tinubu expressed his displeasure in a statement he signed and shared on his X handle on Sunday, June 2, as he directed the soldiers to fish out the perpetrators.
“I have received yet another disheartening news story about the killing of five soldiers by suspected militants of the proscribed terrorist organization, IPOB.
“These unwarranted barbaric and evil acts are condemnable and should never be condoned or tolerated in our country. Our soldiers and the police have the onerous duty to protect all of us from aggressors and criminal non-state actors,”he further said.
The soldiers were allegedly lynched by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Thursday, May 30, when a military checkpoint in Obikabia Junction in Aba, Abia state was attacked by the hoodlums.
The ICIR reported that about 15 hoodlums launched an attack on the soldiers at about 8:00 a.m. while allegedly enforcing a sit-at-home order declared by the proscribed group across the southeast states of the country.
Tinubu noted that the slain soldiers were on peacekeeping duty on Thursday, May 30, when they were murdered, just two months after a similar tragic incident happened in Okuama, Delta State.
According to the President, hundreds of the country’s security officers have paid the ultimate price in fulfillment of their duty, while some have experienced the indignity of being manhandled by the people they protect.
“They surely do not deserve the mindless attacks by unruly elements in our society,” Tinubu said.
Commenting on consequences of such actions,Tinubu said the federal government would come down heavily against those who have made it a habit to needlessly attack the officers and men of our armed forces.
He stressed that on no account should anyone, under any guise, have the audacity to kill agents of the state.
“I want to make it clear that the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the armed forces have the capacity to crush violent non-state actors, making our communities unsafe.
“I urge security agencies not only to fish out the masterminds and perpetrators of the Aba attack but also those calling on people to stay at home. Their actions are nothing short of treason.”
The fact that the security forces are exercising necessary restraints when attacked should not be mistaken for weakness, he warned.
“We are working to build a peaceful and harmonious society, but nobody should be under any illusion that the government will not act appropriately when the lives of our officers and men are wantonly taken.
“While my condolences go to the families of the five slain soldiers, their colleagues, and the leadership of our armed forces, I urge other men and women on peacekeeping duty not to be discouraged by the unfortunate incident in Aba,” Tinubu added.