The All Progressives Grand Alliance has suggested that the gunmen terrorising Anambra State and the South-East should be treated like terrorists.
The party said there is no difference in the mode of operation between the gunmen and Boko Haram.
The National Coordinator, APGA Media Warriors’ Forum, Chinedu Obigwe, stated this in a statement made available to journalists in Awka on Tuesday.
Obigwe was reacting to the killing of a lawmaker in the state, Okechukwu Okoye, and his aide, Cyril Chiegboka, by gunmen
.
He said, “There is no difference between Boko Haram terrorists and the heartless criminals masquerading as unknown gunmen.
“We said it boldly without minding whose ox is gored that the heartless criminals masquerading to be unknown gunmen in Anambra and South-East are terrorists and should be dealt with decisively by security agents.
“Unfolding events with regards to the gruesome murder of Hon. Okey Okoye has vindicated our earlier position for the criminal elements to be treated as terrorists. We don’t need any other prove to confirm that these heartless criminals are terrorists.
“When we issued our earlier statement on it, it generated a lot of dust. Some people told us that the statement was a subject of discussion on Radio stations phone in programmes and that some callers are not happy with APGA because of that.
“I told them that I don’t care and that I stand firmly on my position that these heartless criminals masquerading to be unknown gunmen are terrorists and should be treated as such without mercy.
“Only a mentally deranged fool will say that those that kill security agents, kill innocent people, burn peoples’ vehicles, houses and government properties are not terrorists.”
While condemning the gruesome murder of the lawmaker, he called on the communities and the people to cooperate with the Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s administration to end insecurity in the state.
He also called state House of Assembly to enact a law that will classify these “heartless criminals” as terrorists and empower security agents to deal ruthlessly with them.
The statement read in part, “They have graduated to beheading of their victims and all these are what Boko Haram are known for. They are the Boko haram terrorists in Igbo land and should be given Boko Haram treatment.
“The most painful aspect of what is happening is that some of our people hail the evil activities of these so-called unknown gunmen because of naivety.
“We will continue saying it that the heartless criminals masquerading to be unknown gunmen stay in the same community with us and that the need for our people to stop hiding them cannot be overemphasised.
“Exposing them is the only way we can key into Soludo’s administration initiative of ‘if you see something, say something’.
“Our reaction to the kidnap and unfortunate gruesome murder of Okoye is that he was set up and if proper investigation is done, those that set him up might be very close to him. What is happening now calls for everyone to be vigilant and security conscious.
“Even if it will require our beloved Governor Soludo declaring a State of emergency in Anambra to curb this unbearable insecurity in our State, it’s advisable for him to do that because we cannot continue like this.”
