Akpabio Receives Volleys Of Attacks Over Comments On Mercenaries Killed Troops In Delta

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has come under a barrage of verbal attacks over his comments in which he was quoted as having said that “he does not believe that Nigerians were involved in the killing of military personnel in Okuama community of Delta state”.

Akpabio had said on the floor of plenary that those who killed the Nigerian troops maybe mercenaries.

The Senate President, who stated these while making remarks during the debate on a merged motions sponsored by Senators Abdulaziz Yar’Adua (APC, Katsina Central) and Edeh Dafinone (APC, Delta Central), said, “We are not at war. I don’t think they are from the Niger Delta. They may be mercenaries.

“I don’t want to conclude that these people are from Niger Delta because we respect men and women in uniform. That is why I am 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.

“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,” he said.

However, Akpabio’s remarks over the sad incident have attracted the ire of some notable individuals and organisations that described his comments as totally unwarranted, despicable and inexplicable.

Commenting on the remarks in which he attributed the gruesome murder of troops to mercenaries, Mr Auwal Musa Rafsanjani who is the Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International-Nigeria (TI-Nigeria), stressed that giving a soft landing to the criminals is totally unacceptable and should be condemned.

In his words; “A criminal is a criminal irrespective of where he or she comes from. So, to support or to give that kind of soft landing to people who carried out such heinous, barbaric and murderous act against serving security officials, is condemnable.”

Also speaking, Gad Peter, Executive Director, CLEEN Foundation, said there is the need for political leaders to be more circumspect with their comments particularly after an incident or crime have taken place.

Peter said for Akpabio to conclude that the people that killed those soldiers are foreigners means that he has information thus, should avail the details of which nation invaded our country so that we can go to war with them for killing our soldiers.

Also speaking, the Team Lead and Convener of Good Governance Team Nigeria, described Akpabio’s comment as very sad, unacceptable and condemnable, saying that the perpetrators should be identified and justice served.

Okuama and Okoloba communities have been in dispute over the ownership of a controversial land lying on their border since January which led to bloody clash that claimed the livebetween them has led to the killing of many people, including children.