Senator Abaribe Reacts On Issue Of DSS Killing IPOB Members In Enugu.
The Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has reacted to the clash between operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, and members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB in Enugu state, last weekend.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by his Media Adviser, Uchenna Awom, the lawmaker condemned the killings of the members of the group during the clash in Eneme.
He also accused of the security operatives of killing Igbo youths, noting the act is no longer acceptable to his people. Senator Abaribe, however, asked the Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, to set up a judicial panel of Inquiry to unravel what transpired between the group and DSS.
He said: “It is disheartening that security operatives seem to derive pleasure at any slight whim to unleash mayhem, using the most lethal weapons against unarmed Igbo youths at every turn.” “Such unsavoury, brutal and hateful resort to extreme repression, demean Nigeria’s democratic ethos and even question her unity.
“We are in a democracy where every agency of government, particularly the security apparatchik must adhere strictly to rules of engagement with regards to dealings with the civil populace in such a manner that will be in conformity with international best practices.
“The last time I checked, Nigerians still enjoy the freedom to associate freely. Nobody has told us that the Igbo youths meeting last Sunday was a gathering meant to launch an attack on anybody. “Who will they attack and for what? What informed the police and DSS deployment to the venue of the meeting?
“Incontrovertible reports suggest very strongly that the killings were ignited when the security operatives stormed the venue of that peaceful meeting, not that the youths marched to anywhere to attack anybody. “These are the issues that should be addressed at the panel.”
