.urge for restraint on use of military force
By Paul Effiong, Abuja
The House of Representatives has mandated the security agencies to immediately conduct a thorough and wholesome investigation into the circumstances that led to the heartless, gruesome and despicable murder of military personnel while exercising restraint in the application of military force on civilians.
They also mandated its Committees on Defence to interface with the Armed Forces of Nigeria to ensure strict compliance and report to the House within four weeks for more legislative action.
This was sequel to the adoption of motion of urgent national importance brought before the House during plenary yesterday by Hon Makki Abubakar Yalleman.
In his debate for the motion, the lawmaker expressed deep shock and sadness over gruesome murder of some military personnel who were often on peace missions across the country;
The lawmaker further informed that the act of attacking and killing military personnel is often carried out through surprise attacks on military formations including check points as well as those on routine patrols;
He, however, expressed sadness over the recent brutal attack on military personnel at a checkpoint at Obikabia Junction in Aba, Abia state where five soldiers were horrendously murdered by suspected gunmen.
The lawmaker stated that he was specially saddened by the fact that the perpetrators of the act did not only killed the military personnel but also destroyed and burnt down the military vehicles at the checkpoint while some soldier narrowly escaped with gunshot injuries;
According to him, the House is aware that these military personnel were on a peaceful mission in their service to their fatherland to ensuring the security of lives and property in that area of the country.
The lawmaker lamented further that this form of attack and killing of military personnel by gunmen in the South East and other parts of Nigeria has a potential of dampening the morale of armed forces, endangering the lives and property of Nigerians and affecting the war on insecurity which has so far recorded some successes in certain areas.
Consequently, lawmakers expressed worried that such act could lead to retaliatory attack by the military and cause huge collateral damage on the people.
Conclusively, lawmakers observed a minute silence for the murdered military personnel
