Orji Uzor Kalu sends message to Nigeria government from prison over killing of constituent

The imprisoned Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North District, has reacted to the gruesome killing of his constituent, one Mr. Ndukwe Arunsi from Ebem in Ohafia Local Government Area (LGA) of Abia state.

The youths of Ebem Ohafia in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State had on Saturday, took to the streets and major roads in the community to protest the wanton killing of their son, a middle-aged man identified as Friday Arunsi by a trigger-happy security personnel.

This is coming barely after a policeman on escort duty from one of the neighboring states killed a resident of Aba on the Uratta axis of the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.

While reports had it that the protesting members of the community set ablaze a Police Patrol Van belonging to the Ohafia Division, an unconfirmed report has it that another set of protesters also set ablaze the Ohafia Police Division building and released all the detained suspects in the police cell.

Sources at the community, who spoke to reporters on the incident, attributed the display of anger by the community to the unjust killing of Arunsi whom they identified as a hardworking man that sells provision at Eni Njoku road, Ebem Ohafia.

But, the Abia State Police Command attributed the action of the police officer to drunkenness and further disclosed the arrest of the Police officer who shot a business man in Ebem Ohafia in the state dead.

The police said the singular act was regrettable and condemnable and would not be tolerated by both the Nigeria Police Force and its Abia State Command.

This was contained in a press release issued by Geoffrey Ogbonna, the Abia Police Public Relation Officer, (PPRO), and obtained by newsmen, Saturday.

The Commissioner of Police Abia State, CP E. Ene Okon commiserated with the immediate and extended families of the deceased as well as the entire people of Ohafia local government area(LGA).

However, in a statement signed by Barrister Emeka Nwala, Special Assistant/Head of Administration, Office of the Chief Whip (Senate), and issued to newsmen in Umuahia, on Monday, Kalu, a former Abia Governor, expressed sadness over the unfortunate incident and called on the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Army Staff to deal decisively to the officer who committed plain murder under the guise of enforcing the COVID-19 lockdown order.

According to the Senator, “The Office is heartbroken in noting that the killing of this hardworking, promising and productive citizen by law enforcement operatives is a sad reflection of abuse of the roles of the security agencies in our land, which we insist cannot be justified under any guise. Therefore, we roundly condemn the abominable act.

“The land of Ohafia is well known for its peaceful coexistence and respect for constituted authority. Sadly, this avoidable killing has shattered the quietude of the land and ignited anger, restiveness, chaos, anarchy and acts of lawlessness, which also should not in any way be tolerated or condoned in the land. No!

“In this regard, the Special Assistant/Head of Administration to the Senator has been directed to immediately engage the elders, stakeholders, police hierarchy and others in the district concerned in bringing back normalcy to the land as well as seeing to it that justice is done and that the culprits do not escape the full wrath of the law. We therefore call upon the Inspector General of Police to thoroughly investigate the incident with a view to addressing the issues that have arisen therefrom”.

Continued, Senator Kalu, “Section 33(1) of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) provides that every citizen has a right to life and no one shall intentionally be deprived of his life. The right to life is also enshrined in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“This clear violation of such rights, in the case of the murder of Mr. Arunsi, must therefore not go unpunished.

Lives that are being preserved through the lockdown exercise cannot be wasted by trigger happy personnel of the police under unjustifiable circumstances.

“On this note, our youths are called upon to henceforth exercise full restraint as any person found to be promoting or engaging in any further disturbance in the land will not enjoy the protection of the law on account of the killing.

“We believe that the genuine efforts of this administration to preserve lives and protect the people of the district will not be destroyed by the handiwork of bad eggs in the force.”

The APC chieftain called on the youths of the district to immediately exercise restraint and cease all acts of violence, as the hierarchy is well constituted to ensure erring officers who engaged in this cowardly and wicked killing are brought to book.

Kalu, however, enjoined citizens of Abia North district to obey the lockdown order as it is in the interest of all while awaiting the outcome of the efforts to bring about normalcy.