By Tony Adibe
Members of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the murder of some persons purportedly shot dead by the Nigerian army in Enugu State have commended the state governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, for the support his administration has been giving the security agencies in his efforts to protect the lives and property of the citizens, and rid the state of crime.
This was even as 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, stressing that 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.”
Speaking at the Government House, Enugu, when the members of the committee paid a working visit to the governor to brief him of their mission, the chairman of the committee, Hon Abdulraheem Sanni Egidi, noted that the governor 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 chairman, who expressed displeasure with the way the Nigeria soldiers killed some vigilante groups who were responding to distress call on banditry and kidnapping, added that they were on a fact-finding assignment in the state.
According to him, 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.
“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.
Commenting on the visit, the governor 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.
Represented by the Deputy Governor of the state, Barr Ifeanyi Ossai, Governor Mbah said the state welcomed the development with delight even as he condemned the unfortunate loss of lives.
He called on the committee to discharge their duties without partiality, urging 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.
Mbah, who 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.
Also, 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.
