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The House of Representatives has urged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Director General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi to bring to book the killers of seven Nigerians.
Recall that hoodlums, suspected to be cultists last week, invaded Ifite-Awka, near the school gate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, killing no fewer than seven persons.
According to eyewitnesses, the gun-wielding hoodlums invaded the vicinity in the early hours of Thursday, October 24, 2024, and opened fire on some persons, suspected to be members of another rival cult group, thereby causing chaos and panic in the area.
Coming under a matter of public importance on Tuesday, the member representing Kanke/Pankshin/Kanam Federal Constituency, Yusuf Gagdi informed the House that the seven murdered citizens hailed from Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State.
He noted that the slain Plateau indigenes “Were brutally murdered by some armed militia while repairing their motorcycles at a mechanic garage.”
He continued: “The House notes that the victims were residents in Awka carrying out their legitimate peaceful services as motorcycle riders at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University gate.
“The House is worried that the victims were neither terrorists, bandits nor criminals but peace-loving citizens of Nigeria who are free to reside and do business in any part of Nigeria.
“The victims Joseph Ishaku (31), Jamila Haruna (20), Abdultawab Aliyu (28), Abdulrazaq Muhammed (18), Nurudeen Yusuf (23) were all shot to death while Ayuba Habu (23) Abdulkareem Haruna (25) Anas Abdulwahab (30), were severely injured. The victims were all from Gumshar and Gwamlar Areas of Kanam Local Government of Plateau State.
“The House is worried that this barbaric act in the South-Eastern part of the country is threatening our existence and freedom of movement and right to life and liberty to live anywhere in Nigeria as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
He added that if prompt security measures are not put in place to safeguard the lives of Nigerians living in other regions, “It may lead to anarchy and total insecurity across the federation, and reprisal attacks may not be avoidable.”
Contributing to the motion, the lawmaker representing Etsako East/Etsako West/Etsako Central Federal Constituency, Edo State, Dekeri Anamero called for a holistic probe of insecurity in the country, adding that the menace was not restricted to Plateau State alone.
He said, “It is a matter of national emergency. Let the investigation be a national issue because insecurity is not restricted to Plateau State.”
On his part, a member of the House representing Shomolu Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Ademorin Kuye while commiserating with the families of the dead, noted that the killings were cult-related and not targeted at Plateau citizens.
“It is unfortunate that the killings at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University gate involved persons from Plateau State. The information at our disposal is that it was a cult fight. This issue (insecurity) is everywhere including the South-West,” he said.
Similarly, a Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker, Mark Esset urged the House leadership to summon the heads of the various security agencies to brief the parliament on what is being done to address the security of lives and property in the country.
He lamented that despite the huge budgetary allocation to defence and security, killings continue to go on unabated.
“This is unfortunate. We now do 20 seconds of silence in honour of the dead because there are so many. Every year, the largest share of the budget goes to security. There was a report on social media that sponsors of insecurity and Boko Haram had been identified. Till now, nothing has happened. We need to invite heads of security agencies to come here and brief us on what is happening,” he said.
Following the adoption of the motion, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu who presided over the plenary urged “The Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the Department of State Service to take urgent and decisive action to address this situation and ensure that the culprits are brought to face the full weight of the law.”
It also called on the Federal Government to immediately commence a thorough investigation of the incident and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice
