House of Representatives, yesterday, said it is determined to unravel circumstances that led to the killing of vigilante members allegedly by soldiers in Enugu State two months ago.
Two vigilante members of Eke Community, in Udi council of the state, who were responding to a distress call over armed robbery and kidnapping incidents in the area, were allegedly killed last June by soldiers in the area.
Also killed in the incident was the wife of one of the vigilante officials. They were said to have abandoned, midway, an event organised for their newly enrolled members to respond to a distress call, only to be confronted by soldiers who killed some of them, even when they reportedly identified themselves as vigilante members.
Four other survivors are still recuperating from the incident.
But members of the House of Representatives’ ad hoc committee, who were in Enugu, yesterday, stated that they were sent to investigate the incident. They commended Governor Peter Mbah for the support his administration had given security agencies in the protection of life and property of citizens and ridding the state of crime.
The committee expressed its resolve to unravel the motive behind the unlawful killing, stressing that the National Assembly “is worried by the way and manner lives of Nigerians are being wasted on a daily basis, and resolved to end this by whichever means possible.”
Speaking at the Government House, Enugu, when they paid a working visit to the governor to brief him about their mission, the Chairman of the committee, AbdulraheemSanniEgidi, noted that the governor had shown resolve in combating criminality. He ensured the protection of life and property of the people by providing adequate support in cash and kind to security agencies to complement the efforts of the Federal Government.
He expressed displeasure with the way soldiers killed the vigilante group members, who were responding to a distress call on banditry and kidnapping, adding that they were on a fact-finding assignment in the state.
Reacting, the governor extolled the resilient spirit of the committee members for being proactive in their response to the plight of Nigerians, adding that the state government would give them maximum support and protection as they discharged their duties.