The Chairman of South East Governors Forum and governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has condemned in strong terms the brutal assassination of soldiers in Aba yesterday.
The governor regretted that the soldiers were attacked without any provocation and killed while on a lawful duty, protecting innocent citizens against the threat of nonstate actors.
Uzodimma was angry that the soldiers were shot and killed at Obikabia junction in Aba by masked gunmen who also set their patrol vehicle on fire.
In a statement in Owerri, Governor Uzodimma said such callous and unwanted killings seriously dent the image of the South East among other Nigerians.
He said that such callous and unprovoked attacks on security agencies were also a setback to efforts being made by South East governors to negotiate an end to the crisis in the region.
According to him, at a time that the governors were talking with both the federal government and security agencies on ways of ending the siege on the region, such a killing was a setback to peace efforts.
Senator Uzodimma noted that there was no justifiable reason to murder soldiers who were not engaged in any conflict with anyone.
“This act of cowardice is strongly condemned. There was no justifiable reason, no cause whatsoever to have killed those soldiers in cold blood, “he lamented.
The governor tasked security agencies to go after the killers and bring them to book without delay.
He commiserated with the families of the victims and the Chief of Army Staff, Nigerian Army, over the deaths of the gallant soldiers.
He urged all parties not to take the laws in their hands.