Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director, of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International-Nigeria (TI-Nigeria) has frowned at the claims by Senate President Godswill Akpabio that foreign mercenaries must have killed the 17 soldiers in Okuama Community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State last Thursday.
Senator Akpabio, during the Tuesday plenary session, had stated that the country was not at war so there was no reason for Nigerians to kill the soldiers and called for a thorough investigation into the killing.
“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.”
Speaking, Auwal who spoke to Daily Trust stated that giving a soft landing to the criminals should be condemned.
“A criminal is a criminals 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.”
Executive Director, CLEEN Foundation, Gad Peter, said political leaders should be careful about their comments “after incident or crimes have taken place.”
He said, “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.”
Tunde Salman, the Team Lead/ Convener of Good Governance Team Nigeria, described Akpabio’s comment as very sad, unacceptable and condemnable.
He urged that the perpetrators should be identified and justice should be served.
However, Emmanuel Onwubiko, the National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), dismissed Akpabio’s claim as mere speculation.
“Foreign elements could mean strange persons from outside of that community where the incident happened.”
