Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has expressed sadness over the gruesome killing of his constituent in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State by security operatives in the state.
Igbere TV had on Friday reported the killing of a young man from Ebem Ohafia identified as Ndukwe Arunsi by men of the Nigerian police said to be under the influence of alcohol while enforcing the lockdown order by the state government.
Reacting to the development in a statement sent to Igbere TV, Kalu, through his Special Assistant/Head of Administration, Barr. Emeka Nwala, said he was heartbroken over the killing of “this hardworking, promising and productive citizen.”
He condemned the action of the law enforcement operatives, saying it was a “sad reflection of abuse of the roles of the security agencies in our land”, insisting, however, that it cannot be justified under any guise but must be roundly condemned by all.
“The land of Ohafia is well known for its peaceful coexistence and respect for constituted authority. Sadly, this avoidable killing has shattered the quietude of the land and ignited anger, restiveness, chaos, anarchy and acts of lawlessness, which also should not in anyway be tolerated or condoned in the land.”
The Abia North Senator, however, called on the youths of the district to immediately exercise restraint and cease all acts of violence, “as the hierarchy is well constituted to ensure erring officers who engaged in this cowardly and wicked killing are brought to book.”
He said his Special Assistant/Head of Administration has been directed to immediately engage the elders, stakeholders, police hierarchy and others in the district concerned in bringing back normalcy to the land as well as seeing to it that justice is done and that the culprits do not escape the full wrath of the law.
“We therefore call upon the Inspector General of Police to thoroughly investigate the incident with a view to addressing the issues that have arisen therefrom.
“Furthermore, the office calls on the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Army Staff to make examples of these officers who commit plain murder under the guise of enforcing the lockdown order.
“Section 33(1) of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) provides that every citizen has a right to life and no one shall intentionally be deprived of his life. The right to life is also enshrined in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“Pursuant to this, Mr President in his last nationwide broadcast mandated law enforcement agencies to exercise restraint in carrying out the enforcement order without neglecting their roles. This compliments the provision of rules of engagement for law enforcement agencies.
“This clear violation of such rights, in the case of the murder of Mr. Arunsi, must therefore not go unpunished. Lives that are being preserved through the lockdown exercise cannot be wasted by trigger happy personnel of the police under unjustifiable circumstances.
“On this note, our youths are called upon to henceforth exercise full restraint as any person found to be promoting or engaging in any further disturbance in the land will not enjoy the protection of the law on account of the killing.
“We believe that the genuine efforts of this administration to preserve lives and protect the people of the district will not be destroyed by the handiwork of bad eggs in the force.
“Finally, all citizens of the district are enjoined to obey the lockdown order since it is in the interest of all of us while awaiting the outcome of the efforts to bring about normalcy,” the statement added.
All Comments