Four civil society organisations and a security expert have condemned Senate President Godswill Akpabio for saying mercenaries could be responsible for killings 16 military personnel in Delta State on Thursday last week.
The CSOs include Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International-Nigeria, CLEEN Foundation, Good Governance Team Nigeria and National Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA),
In his reaction to Akpabio’s claims, Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International-Nigeria (TI-Nigeria) Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, accused the Senate President of protecting those who killed the soldiers.
“A criminal is a criminal irrespective of where he or she comes from. So, to support or to give kind of soft landing to people who have carried out this barbaric and murder against serving security officials, is condemnable,” he said
Similarly, the Executive Director, CLEEN Foundation, Gad Peter, advised political leaders to be careful of their comments “after incident or crimes have taken place.”
“For Akpabio to say the people that killed those soldiers are foreigners means that he has information. So, he should provide the details of which nation invaded our country so that we can go to war with them for killing our soldiers.”
Also reacting to the comments of Akpabio, The Team Lead/ Convener Good Governance Team Nigeria, Tunde Salman, said the Senate President’s remarks were very sad, unacceptable and condemnable.
He said the culprits should be fished out and prosecuted.
However, National Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, said: “He (Akpabio) is simply guessing. So, he may be right and he may be wrong.
“Foreign elements could mean strange persons from outside of that community where the incident happened.”
A commander, two majors, a captain and 12 other soldiers were killed on Thursday last week while on a peace mission to the warring communities of Okuoma and Okoloba.
Akpabio who presided over Senate plenary on Tuesday said mercenaries were behind the killings.
“I don’t want to conclude that these people are from Niger Delta because we respect men and women in uniform. That’s why I’m saying that your additional prayer should be to carry out a thorough investigation to know whether they were mercenaries outside Nigeria, who came in to commit this crime because I don’t think these people are from Niger Delta.
“We’re not at war. Even in the field of war, to lose such a number of personnel, no community will go to the extent of doing that kind of thing; I don’t think they’re from Niger Delta. So, I think the first point should be that we should establish the culprits who committed this crime.”
The Senate set up a committee to investigate circumstances surrounding the killings.
He said the panel would be saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that those involved in the killings were brought to justice.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence, Ahmad Lawan, has said the soldiers’ killings was an attack on security and stability of the Niger Delta region.
Lawan, in a statement, urged the security agencies to investigate the killings, bring the perpetrators to justice and restore peace and order in the area.
In another development, the House of Representatives has said the Armed Forces should conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the killings of the military personnel.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Babajimi Benson.
The House also asked that the killers be prosecuted.