Otti, Senators, Groups Condemn Killing of Police, Teenagers in Aba

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, Senators and organisations in Abia 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 the scene of the incident.

The Abia Senators, Senators Orji Uzor Kalu, Enyi Abaribe and Austin Akobundu, together with the Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development, Nigeria, the South East Youth Leaders Coalition and the Abia State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, have strongly condemned the dastardly act.

The two police officers who lost their lives were Inspector Augustine Ogbudu, 36, from Cross River State and Superintendent of Police, Eziekel Sunday, from Kebbi State, while Inspector Odochi Adiele and another police officer were injured and were receiving treatment at different hospitals in Aba.

Separately, a 14-year-old boy was killed in the attack as he fled the scene and was killed by a vehicle.

The teenager was identified as Chikwere Edmond Nkemakolam, a student of Evangel Seminary School, Ovom, Aba.

Governor Otti had on Saturday assured the families of the two slain policemen that the state security agencies would find the perpetrators, even as he commiserated with them over their losses.

He called the incident regrettable, vowing that his government would hunt down the perpetrators, regretting that the attack came just weeks after a similar incident involving five soldiers.

He assured that there would be a change of strategy to deal with it.

He expressed his belief that when the investigations are completed and all the information gathered is brought together, the government will really know where the attacks are coming from, stressing that his government will not succumb to 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.

The Senator representing Abia North, Kalu, described the death of the policemen as “painful” and urged relevant authorities in the country to ensure that the perpetrators are found.

His counterpart in Abian South, Abaribe, regretted that this was happening 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 measures to stem the tide in the state.

Senator Akobundu said: “These acts are unacceptable in Abia State. All hands must be on deck to track down the killers.”

The three Abia senators expressed compassion with the Nigeria Police, the Inspector General of Police and the families of the deceased over the loss and urged them to take courage.

In a statement by the President General of COSEYL, Comrade Goodluck Ibem, the youths described the attacks on state security agencies as a plot to render the state ungovernable and condemned the attack on the police officers, adding: “It is very unfortunate and heartbreaking that some people, under whatever guise, allow themselves to be used to kill their fellow human beings for no reason. This killing is barbaric, heinous, 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 are a well calculated attempt by these anti-democratic forces to make Abia ungovernable, but their plans are doomed to failure.”

FENRAD, Nigeria, noted: “In the security landscape of Abia State, a deplorable trend is emerging, particularly in Aba, Enyimba town and its suburbs. In less than two months, military and police personnel charged with the enforcement of internal security have had to pay a high price as victims gunned down by unknown assassins.”

FENRAD, a democracy and environmental rights group based in the state, in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, said: “The fact that these murderers are confining their evil operation to Aba and its suburbs speaks volumes. It is now imperative to increase intelligence gathering in the coordinates of Aba as a preventive security measure. Furthermore, the dynamics and trends of these killings must be critically examined to enable a better appreciation of the current situation and to address the current challenges with a swift, strategic, tailored and targeted response. The enemy must not get away with it.”

The Abia PDP, in a statement signed by the State Vice Chairman/Acting Secretary for Publicity, Abraham Amah, said: “That day was another sad day for Abia, and the news of the killing of the policemen by persons yet to be identified came as a rude shock to us, given that Abia State is still grappling with the unpleasant aftermath of the killing of soldiers at Obikabia Junction, also in Aba, barely a month ago. It is a killing that has become too many, and the Abia PDP condemns this barbaric act in its entirety.”

“This growing trend of killing security agents in Abia State is very dangerous, it calls for a moment of solemn reflection by the government and should not be seen as a political case study of blame games, as it creates ample opportunities for the intelligence community to misrepresent Abia State as a security hotspot, even though Abia was the most peaceful state in the South East in the recent past.”

The party therefore advised the Otti government to “rethink its security architecture and ensure that it collaborates with relevant agencies to adopt a more preventive approach in securing the lives and property of Abians.”