President Bola Tinubu has issued a stern warning to the unknown gunmen responsible for the recent killing of soldiers in Abia State, vowing that the federal government will take decisive action against them.
The warning follows the attack by individuals identified by the Defence Headquarters as members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN), which occurred during a sit-at-home order called by IPOB to mark Biafra Day.
President Tinubu directed security agencies to apprehend not only the perpetrators of the attack but also those calling for sit-at-home actions.
He stated that the government’s restraint should not be mistaken for weakness and made it clear that such violent actions would not be tolerated.
“The slain soldiers were on peacekeeping duty in Aba, Abia State, when they were murdered, just two months after a similar tragic incident happened in Okuama in Delta State.
“These unwarranted barbaric and evil acts stand condemned and should never be condoned and tolerated in our country,” the President stated.
Tinubu stressed the federal government’s capacity to crush violent non-state actors, adding, “We are working to build a peaceful and harmonious society, but nobody should be under any illusion that the government will not act appropriately when the lives of our officers and men are wantonly taken.”
Offering condolences to the families of the five slain soldiers, their colleagues, and the armed forces’ leadership, President Tinubu encouraged other security personnel to remain undeterred.
“Our soldiers and the police have the onerous duty to protect all of us from aggressors and non-state actors.
“Hundreds of them have paid the ultimate price in fulfillment of their duty, while some have experienced the indignity of being manhandled by the people they protect,” he said.
The President assured that the federal government would respond firmly to such attacks, asserting, “On no account should anyone, under any guise, have the audacity to kill agents of state.”
