- Says constituents now sleep in bush for fear
By Cliffsimon Akalonu
The Nigerian Army has been given a 14 day ultimatum to respond to a murder petition leveled by some concerned families in Owerri.
Led by member representing Abor Mbaise/Ngor Okpala federal constituency, Imo State, Hon. Bede Uchenna Eke, on Thursday, the families accused security agents of embarking on extrajudicial killings of the people in Ngorokpala.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the lawmaker said the killings are coming on the heels of the recent murder of the former presidential adviser and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Gulak in Owerri, Imo State.
He gave the names of some of the victims of extrajudicial killings by security agents in the state as Noel Chigbu Nzeribe and Tochi Ekwe, alleging that several other persons are currently missing.
He disclosed that many residents of his constituency have been driven to the bushes while others fled to where they have spent days without their families, stating that the his people were supposed to be protect by the security agencies.
While condemning Gulak’s murder, Hon. Bede Ekeh appealed to the security agencies to exercise restraints and stop killing innocent people, adding that the cries of his constituents have reached a crescendo to intervene in their current ordeal in the hands of the security operatives.
The House of Reps member, representing Ngorokpala and Aboh Mbaise federal constituency, said the police and the army should conduct discreet investigations to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice rather than mass intimidation and killings of his constituents.
“We lost a young man. Until his death owns and operates a Shawarma shop just to make ends meet. He was shot by the army because he could not obey the rules of giving at the checkpoint.
“The family has written a petition to the army. We as the people of Ngor Okpala/Mbaise are not happy about it and as the representative of the people; I want to make it known to the world that we are waiting for the outcome of the petition.
“As the representative of the people, I am giving the Nigerian army 14 days ultimatum to respond to the killings of those young men which amongst them, one left a pregnant wife and his two children. One is 3 and the other is 2 years old.
