By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha
The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Anambra State has condemned what it called barbaric and dastardly killings of five soldiers and two civilians by yet to be identified hoodlums at Umunze in Orumba North local government area of Anambra State.
The group in a press statement jointly signed by its chairman and Secretary, Mr. Vincent Ezekwueme and Chidi Mbah, described the gruesome killings of the military personnel and civilians as hallmark of lawlessness and man’s inhumanity to man.
The statement titled: ‘when one suffers directly, all of us suffers indirectly”, CLO said:
”God gives and takes life, the sacredness, sanctity and dignity of human persons must be safeguarded and respected by all and sundry.
The perpetrators and citizenry must recall and observes the commandment of God “thou shall not kill”
”According to Edmund Burke “no evil doer will go unpunished, if not by man, certainly by God, if not on earth certainly in heaven. For the triumph of evil over good is temporary.
“We most heartily consoles, sympathises and identify with military, bereaved and all those pained and grieving over the untimely death of this military patriots and some civilians.
”We pray to God to forgives and forgets their shortcomings and accept their souls in paradise. We equally appeal to authority to pay adequate compensations to respective families they left behind as they died for their fatherland while in active service.
”May God give their loved ones grace and fortitude to bear and endure the irreparable and irreplaceable lost.
We most passionately appeal to the military as patriots not to embarks on transfer aggression and revenge mission against law abiding, patriotic and innocent citizens of Umunze , because the greatest injustice and human rights abuses is for the just, to bear the atrocities, impunity and absurdity of the unjust.
“It will be most appropriate and step in the right direction to channel all efforts and energies to unravel the perpetrators.
Finally, “justice could only be served unless, unaffected are as outraged as those affected.May God never allow this anathema and impunity to happen again in our dear state. Let us collectively, assiduously and collaboratively works to secure, protect and safeguard our state and the country,”the group said.
