The lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has reacted to the statement by President Tinubu over those behind the killing of soldiers in Aba, the commercial city of Abia State.
Daily9jaInfo reports that about five soldiers lost their lives in an attack by gunmen on 30th May, a day Eastern Nigeria are remembering their fallen heroes/heroines known as Biafra Day.
Reacting to the killing of soldiers in a statement, President Tinubu regretted that the attack happened two months after that of Okuama in Delta State.
He warned the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), that his government would not sit back and watch them commit treasonable offence.
“I have received yet another disheartening news of the killing of five soldiers by suspected militants of the proscribed terrorist organization, IPOB. The slain soldiers were on peacekeeping duty in Aba, Abia State on Thursday when they were murdered, just two months after a similar tragic incident happened in Okuama in Delta state.”
“These unwarranted barbaric and evil acts stand condemned and should never be condoned and tolerated in our country.
“Our soldiers and the police have the onerous duty to protect all of us from aggressors and non state actors. Hundreds of them have paid the ultimate price in fulfilment 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. The federal government will come down heavily against those who have made it a habit to needlessly attack the officers and men of our armed forces. On no account should anyone, under any guise, have the audacity to kill agents of 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 action is nothing but a treasonable offence.
“The fact that the security forces are exercising necessary restraints should not be mistaken for weakness. 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.
Also, in his reaction, the lead counsel of the IPOB, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, appealed to the military and other security agents not to go on revenge to avoid further deaths.
Ejiofor in a statement in Owerri yesterday, distanced the IPOB from the criminal act.
He said: “I roundly condemn in unmistaken terms, the unprovoked attack on military personnel at a checkpoint in Aba, Abia State. While we pray for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives in this dastardly act, carefully perpetuated by the real enemies of Biafra and Biafrans, I urge for all hands to be on deck to ensure that those responsible for this heinous attack are fished out.
“Unfortunately, the victims of the envisaged reprisal attacks and/or arrests from the soldiers would be innocent citizens who know absolutely nothing about the incident.
“While we encourage a thorough investigation of this heinous crime, we shall at the same time urge the soldiers and other security agents to exercise the greatest restraint and operate within the acceptable rules of professional engagement, to avoid punishing the innocent for an offence they know nothing about.
“Furthermore, it is unreasonable to attribute the commission of this dastardly act to the IPOB, whom I am its lead counsel, even before any investigation has been conducted.
“IPOB has maintained its peaceful stance in their self-determination quest for a Sovereign State of Biafra, and has at all times, distanced itself from the activities of the criminals claiming to be freedom fighters, who have publicly taken responsibility for this heinous crime.”
