Reps probe alleged homicide of vigilante members in Enugu by army

The House of Representatives has begun an investigation into the alleged gruesome murder of some vigilante members in Eke, Udi Council Area of Enugu State by the Nigerian army.

Abdulraheem Egidi, the chairman, House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the murder disclosed this when the members of the committee visited Gov. Peter Mbah at the Government House, Enugu on Thursday.

Reports had it that men from the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army allegedly opened fire on some members of the Eke Vigilante Group who were on their way to respond to a distress call in their community, killing two of them including a woman and inflicting gunshot injury on three others.

Egidi who expressed the committee’s resolve to unravel the reasons behind the unlawful killings of the Enugu indigenes, 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.”

While briefing Mbah who was represented by his Deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai, of their mission, Egidi 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, the investigation followed a motion moved by a member representing Ezeagu/Udi Federal Constituency, Mr Sunday Umeha, to investigate the “gruesome murder of some Nigerians by soldiers in the state on the 29th of June, 2023.

He explained that following that motion, 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 said.

The Chairman further commended Mbah, for the support his administration had been giving the security agencies in his efforts to protect the lives and property of the citizens, and rid the state of crime.

Egidi, said the governor had 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.

Responding ,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.

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 had 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 FG 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,” he appealed. (NAN)