By Polycarp Onwubiko
Still lamenting the barbaric gambit by the outlaws in mindlessly killing of 7 (was it 17) Nigerian soldiers on an alleged peace mission in Okuama community, Delta state and the gruesome reprisal by the grieving colleagues of the military, another such imbecilic act of killing five soldiers was perpetrated in Aba town, in Abia State .
As "comrade-in-arms"
or esprit de corps, naturally the colleagues of the slain dutiful soldiers have
been boiling and being waged to go on rampage for a reprisal attack not minding
the obvious collateral damages in mindlessly slaughtering people and destroying
properties such unchecked emotional reprisal had done in the past like Odi,
Zakibiam; and Okuama just recently.
The whole Nigerians including
prominent personages, groups, Abia state government where the atrocious
happening took place in the supposed "Biafra Day" have been
passionately appealing to the leadership of the Military to rein in the angry
soldiers from releasing the triggers of their lethal weapons for an unchecked
reprisal attack to revenge the uncalled for murdering of their colleagues.
Thanks to the leadership of the
Military for the restraint so far seen; quite unlike during the past incidents
when hell was let loose with unquantifiable devastating consequently and
bloodshed and wiping out of a community without minding the much emphasized
", Rule of Engagement" as obtained in sane and sanitized countries of
the world.
The question now arises: Does
Nigeria has more than one "President and Commander in Chief of the Armed
Forces"? The Nigerian Constitution was very clear that it is only the
President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, which is not President
Bola Ahmed Tinubu that has the constitutional authority to direct the Chief of
Army Staff to deploy soldiers for an assignment.
Flash back to Okuama
unfortunate Military unchecked reprisal and total wiping out of the
communication, was it President Tinubu that gave the Chief of Army Staff the
go-ahead directive in writing to embark on such ruinous escape which is being
utterly regretted now by all and sundry, even the Military because they are
human beings with conscience. Of course when they look at the unquantifiable,
devastating and utterly ruined structures and hundreds of Okuama people
needlessly shot to death by the angry, rampaging soldiers, the gruesome long
time privation and suffering of the innocent people who knew next to nothing
about the killing of the 17 soldiers, they definitely would be sorrowful.
Sadly, the gruesome deed had
been done because Nigeria is being piloted in an uncivilized readership style
and crude mindset. The point I want to strike is that henceforth, the soldiers
should dare not go on reprisal or so-called revenge for the mindless killing of
their colleagues. There is a LAW in Nigeria which gives the police the
constitutional authority to investigate criminal acts like killing of any human
beings because soldiers are equally human beings.
Soldiers are NOT or operating a
different Government which authorize them to go on rampage and reprisal attack
when their colleagues are killed or in mortal danger. In other words, the Chief
of Army Staff or the Section Commander have NO authority to dispatch soldiers
under them to go on rampage or on so-called reprisal attack destroying properties
and mindlessly slaughtering people and razing down the entire community , all
in the name of anger for killing their colleagues.
The Nigeria Police is legally
empowered to wade into every criminal enterprise and must bring the
perpetrators to justice. The soldiers are not trained for criminal
investigation and arrest of crime perpetrators. There is division of roles in
sane and sanitized countries of the world and Nigeria must key into such
civilized standard of Good Governance.
Polycarp Onwubiko, media commentator
writes from Awka Anambra State.
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