The Labour Party’s leadership on Sunday called on the Nigerian Army to focus on apprehending the killers of five soldiers in Abia State, rather than targeting innocent civilians.
This plea followed the military’s announcement of plans to avenge the soldiers’ deaths, which occurred during the Biafran Day celebration.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, emphasized the need for the military to avoid collateral damage.
The attack, confirmed by the military, was carried out by terrorists from the Indigenous People of Biafra and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network.
The assailants reportedly used three tinted Toyota Prado SUVs in the surprise attack.
Denouncing the killing of the soldiers, Ifoh urged the military to pursue the perpetrators exclusively to prevent harm to innocent citizens.
He also praised the state governor, Dr. Alex Otti, for his commitment to justice, including offering a N25 million bounty for information leading to the culprits.
Ifoh said, While we commiserate with the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, and the entire military command on the unfortunate incident and pray for the repose of the soul of the gallant heroes, we are worried by the military’s threat to avenge the soldiers’ deaths.
We urge the military to be professional in their approach to vengeance to avoid further loss of lives.
“Unknown gunmen or whatever names they chose to bear do not deserve to be spared. They have caused untold and unnecessary pain to the South East and deserve to be wiped out.
But we urge that the military’s response to this latest act of provocation must be measured and targeted at these elements alone.
Abia has remained the most peaceful state in the whole of the South East, obviously due to the untiring efforts of the state government to rid the state of all criminal elements over the last year.
We, therefore, urge the military not to let this unfortunate incident undermine that progress.
“The military’s threat to retaliate with a fierce response and bring ‘overwhelming military pressure on the group to ensure their total defeat’ is valid.
However, it could potentially lead to a humanitarian crisis if the retaliation is indiscriminate and unrestricted. Reports from Aba and its surroundings indicate that youths and young men are fleeing the area out of fear for their lives.
