Abia: Gov Otti visits Army base, pleads for innocent suspects

On Thursday, Abia State Governor Alex Otti made a second, encouraging visit to the leaders and soldiers of the Nigerian Army’s 144 Battalion at Abayi, Aba.

This was after he had visited the wives of Army officers slain at Obikabia Junction by unidentified gunmen during his visit to the unit the previous week.

The governor informed the troop that he had come to offer his condolences on behalf of the Commander, 14 Brigade Ohafia, Brigadier General O.O. Diya, who later joined in meeting the governor. The governor was welcomed to the area by Major K.P. Duniya, the Commanding Officer.

He said that the government of Abia State would continue to assist the Nigerian Army in carrying out its constitutional duty of defending its citizens.

“My name is Alex Otti, and I am the Governor of Abia State. I feel it is my responsibility as the Chief Security Officer of the state to speak to you, commiserate with you, and also ensure that your morale is boosted, that you don’t get discouraged and that you don’t get distracted by this unfortunate incident,” he stated.

He reminded the commanders that the killers of the five soldiers at Obikabia Junction in Aba were the target of a 25 million naira bounty issued by his administration. He continued by saying that they have begun to get reliable information regarding the troops’ deaths.

Otti reaffirmed that the widows will get assistance from the Abia State government, and that the children of the army officers killed by gunmen had been awarded scholarships up to the university level.

In order to prevent the punishment of innocent people, he implored the Army to conduct their inquiry thoroughly.

“I’m also aware that some people have been picked up before now, but when I spoke with the GOC this morning, he told me that virtually everyone that was picked up has been released except for about nine or 10 people who are still being investigated.

“We, as a state, support a thorough investigation, but we will also appeal to you that a lot of innocent civilians who you will encounter may not have been involved. I believe that most of them are not involved. It is even possible that those who committed this crime came from outside the state. So whatever the case, we will not like to punish those who are innocent with those who are guilty because, as it is said, two wrongs cannot make a right.

“So, I would like to encourage you, I would like to appeal to your leaders to ensure that people are treated decently, and given the utmost respect that they deserve while we are doing our job of fishing out the criminals,” said Governor Otti.

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