The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, on Thursday expressed sadness over the series of casualties recorded by the Nigerian military, describing them as “depressing and devastating.”
Obi said in a statement via his official Twitter handle, said that the death of the 36 soldiers, reportedly killed in a terrorists’ ambush in Niger State and the crash of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) MI-171 helicopter on a rescue mission, in the same State “is unfortunate and disheartening.”
Expressing concern over what he described as “the deplorable level of insecurity in most parts of the country,” Obi noted that such incidents has continued to embarrass and cost the nation precious lives and properties, with the attendant economic costs.
He also expressed sympathy to the families of the patriotic slain soldiers who, he said, “have paid the supreme price for their fatherland in a very painful way, fighting against insecurity in the country.
“The continual loss of lives, of our military men and other citizens, to insecurity is very painful and disgusting. We must unite as a people, to subdue this monster of insecurity threatening our collective existence, without which, no development will be experienced in the country.”
While commiserating with the military agencies over the sad incidents, Obi urged them not to be dispirited over the challenges they face, but to see them as the inevitable path to go before achieving a safe and secure nation for all. He said, “I commiserate with our military agencies whose personnel have continued to pay the supreme price, for peace and security in our nation. Remain courageous and resilient in the fight. I would also like to encourage a full-scale investigation to be carried out to unravel the cause of the helicopter crash as a way of preventing future occurrences.”
Obi restated his commitment to ensuring safe and secure Nigerians when given access to power. He maintained that fighting insecurity in Nigeria will remain his top priority if he gets into power. “Fighting insecurity, squarely, remains my priority in the New Nigeria, and so should it be, for long-lasting peace and progress in Nigeria.
“Finally, Obi prayed God to grant eternal rest to the dead, console their individual families and console us as a nation, over this great loss. We will never give up on our nation. It is our greatest heritage in whose service all our sacrifices become noble acts,” Obi concluded.