- The presidential candidate of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, Oby Ezekwesili, has attacked President Muhammadu Buhari over the death of soldiers in Melete
- In a condolence press release, the former minister attributed the death of soldiers to lack of intelligence gathering in Nigerian Army
- She also called on President Buhari to publish the names of slain soldiers, charging the presidency to give the fallen heroes a benefiting burial
Oby Ezekwesili, the presidential candidate of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), has reacted to the killings of Nigerian soldiers in Melete, Borno state, by men suspected to be Boko Haram.
Vanguard report that the former minister, in a press statement made on Sunday, November 25, berated the country’s internal security apparatus, wondering why it took the Nigerian Army close to a week before announcing the incident to Nigeria.
Legit.ng gathers that Ezekwesili, commiserating with families of the deceased, demanded that the fallen heroes must not be deprived of their honour.
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Ezekwesili commiserated with the families of the slain soldiers, who she described as heroes of the country.
She expressed: "We express our sympathy and condolence to the families and loved ones of the departed soldiers. They are another set of heroes who have sacrificed their lives for others to live. This calls for a sober reflection and declaration of mourning days by the government.
"The recent killing is a tragic and saddening occurrence and we pray to God to give the deceased family the fortitude to bear the loss.”
The ACPN's presidential candidate did not spare President Buhari in her diatribes. She called the federal government to publish the names of the killed soldiers to have an exact statistics of the casualties.
She added: "It is no longer acceptable for our heroes to die and not be accorded the honour of gallantry. The federal government and the military must accord full military burial rites to the fallen soldiers, and also publish the list of others who have died and had been buried discretely in recent times without giving the Nigerian people the opportunity to celebrate their gallantry."
The convener of Bring Back Our Girls group also admonished the military, adding that the Nigerian Army must not overlook intelligence gathering in a fight against terrorism.
She advised: "Nigeria security operatives need to do more on intelligence gathering. It is one of the key apparatus that must not be missing while fighting terrorists.”
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had asked the National Assembly to immediately commence an extensive investigation into alleged compromises that led to the killing of over 100 Nigerian soldiers by insurgents.
The main opposition party made the demand in a statement on Monday, November 26, by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan.
PDP also chided the federal government for its silence, accusing the presidency of refusing to come forth with explanations on the issue.
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Source: Legit.ng