House probes killing of vigilante men by soldiers in Enugu Community

BY JUDE OSSAI / ENUGU

Members of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee set up to investigate the murder of some persons allegedly killed by the Nigerian army in Eke Community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State stormed the Coal City on Thursday.

Expressing his displeasure with the way the Nigeria soldiers killed some vigilante groups who were responding to distress call on banditry and kidnapping, the chairman of the committee, Hon Abdulraheem Sanni Egidi told Governor Peter Mbah during their courtesy visit at Government House, Enugu that they were on a fact-finding assignment in the state.

Sanni Egidi said that following a motion moved by a member representing Ezeagu/Udi Federal Constituency, Hon. Sunday Cyriacus Umeha, to investigate the “gruesome murder of some Nigerians by soldiers in the state on the 29th of June, 2023”, the House of Representatives resolved to embark on a fact-finding mission.

According to him, the committee expressed its resolve to unravel the reasons behind the unlawful killings of some Enugu indigenes by soldiers at Eke in Udi Local Government Area.

“The House considering this as a matter of urgent public interest as it affects the lives of Nigerians, resolved to set up this ad hoc committee to among other things; investigate what actually happened on that fateful day, and punish those found culpable; visit the victims critically lying at the hospital, and families of the deceased, and urge the National Emergency Management Agency to provide relief materials to the victims of the gunshots”, he added.

He said, “The National Assembly is worried by the way and manner the lives of Nigerians are being wasted on a daily basis, and resolved to end this by whichever means possible”, he added.

However, he noted that Governor Mbah has shown resolve in combatting criminality and ensuring the “protection of lives and properties of the people” by providing adequate support in cash and kind to the security agencies to complement the efforts of the federal government.

The Lawmaker commended the governor for the support his administration has been giving the security agencies for the protection of lives and property of the citizens as well as ridding the state of crime.

Responding, the governor who wss represented by his deputy, Barrister Ifeanyi Ossai, extolled the resilient spirit of the committee for being proactive in their response to the plight of Nigerians, adding that the state government would give them maximum support and protection as they discharged their duties.

He said the state welcomed the development with delight even as he condemned the unfortunate loss of lives.

Urging the committee to discharge its duties without partiality, he advised them to listen to all sides including witnesses before drawing their conclusions.

The governor observed that the security agencies in the state had been doing their best efforts to ensure that the lives and properties of Nigerians were protected in the state, and called for a robust relationship between those saddled with the responsibility of guaranteeing the life of every citizen and members of the public.

He further bemoaned the heavy spending and other sacrifices the state has been making to keep the state safe, appealed to the National Assembly to consider allocating special security funding to Enugu State in the next cycle of budget.

“The investment this government is making on security is enormous. We have enjoyed the collaborative synergy with the security agencies, but we need the federal government to assist us to do more.

“We need investment from the federal government to rejig and re-equip the security apparatuses in the state. We need the federal government in providing tools that the security services need so as to gradually relieve the state of the burden of what we have been investing,” the governor added.

Similarly, the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Uche Ugwu, while hosting the committee at the conference room of the complex, condemned the killings as “crime against humanity” which must be investigated to a logical conclusion.

While stating that the incident happened in his constituency, Hon Ugwu said the Assembly would be volunteering its facilities for the public hearing while assuring cooperation from people of the state.

Editor

Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively. He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.