Nigeria President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has described the sit-at-home order and enforcement experienced in the country southeastern states as an act to intimidate the people and overthrow the government of Nigeria, hence, he ordered the military and other security operatives to treat any act of sit-at-home enforcement as a treasonable offence.

It would be recalled that the recent kind of sit-at-home observed in the southeastern states of the country began on August 9, 2021 as a form of protest to demand the immediate and unconditional release of the detained Leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, shortly after he was rearrested in Kenya and the federal government failed to produce him in court on August 9, 2021 as expected by many people in the southeastern geopolitical zone of the country.

Hundreds if not thousands of people including security operatives, non state actors often referred to as unknown gunmen and innocent civilians have been killed with properties worth billions of naira destroyed since the sit-at-home began nearly three years ago.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave the order to the military on Saturday in a statement he personally signed and made available by Nigeria state television, NTA, while reacting to the killing of five solders at Obikabia junction military checkpoint in Aba area of Abia State last Thursday by unknown gunmen who appeared to be enforcing the Biafra Heroes Day sit-at-home ordered by the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

Tinubu gave the order same day the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti visited the wives of the five soldiers killed by the unknown gunmen.

Alex Otti paid a state condolence visit to the wives of the five soldiers and met them  at 144 Battalion military base in Asa, Ukwa West Local government area of Abia State and he was received on arrival by the Commander of 14 Brigade, Ohafia, Nigeria Army, Brigadier General O O Diya.

The Governor, Alex Otti said: “Today, I visited the families of our gallant soldiers and fallen heroes who died in active service following the shocking events of May 30, 2024, at Obikabia Junction in Aba.

As a government, we will continue to condemn this irresponsible and dastardly act committed by criminals who do not want any good for society.

We sympathize with these families, the Nigerian Army high command, and the military leadership here in Abia. What happened is regrettable, and we cannot move on without identifying those who are responsible for this heinous crime and anyone remotely connected to it. We are going to work with the security agencies to ensure that we bring the assailants to justice.

We have announced a ₦25 million bounty on the heads of the criminals for anyone who can come up with any information that will lead to their apprehension. All our communication channels are open to anyone who can assist us with useful information

To the wives of our fallen heroes, it is indeed a difficult moment, and we can only imagine your pain. We sympathize with you and we will give you our full support.

I also want to thank Brigadier General Olusola Diya, the Commander of 14 Brigade, Ohafia for heeding my call and de-escalating the tension in Aba. It will be difficult for innocent Abians to be involved in that evil act. We will continue to galvanise and give the military all the assistance it needs till the perpetrators are apprehended”.

Also on Sunday, the Deputy Speaker of the Nigeria House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu paid condolence visit to the bereaved families of the soldiers killed in Obikabia.

The Deputy speaker said: “Today, accompanied by some of my colleagues and members of the Peace In South East Project (PISE-P), I paid a visit to the bereaved families of the gallant soldiers who were killed in the unfortunate incident at Obikabia Junction in Aba on May 30, 2024.

Once again, I condemn in its entirety, the reckless actions of these lawless individuals that have brought immense pain and sadness to these families. It is my earnest prayer that the Almighty God grants them the fortitude to bear this indescribable loss.

The loss of these dedicated soldiers, who selflessly served our nation, is particularly devastating at a time when we are in dire need of more personnel in the security sector. In our efforts to encourage and support our soldiers and security agencies in their vital work, it is disheartening to witness such violence directed against them.

Through the Peace In South East Project, we have continued to champion a non-kinetic approach to restoring peace and stability in the region. Those who have tried to sabotage the efforts of this project will not be ignored.

While this is a painful moment for the military and everyone involved, I urge them to remain steadfast in their commitment to peace and restraint, ensuring that innocent citizens do not bear the consequences of the misdeeds of a misguided few.

I commend the military in the state led by Brigadier General Olusola Diya, Commander of the 14 Brigade, Ohafia for his exemplary leadership during this challenging time.

We will work closely with the state government and the security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of this tragic incident are apprehended and made to pay dearly for their actions. Justice will be served and their heinous acts will not go unpunished.

May the souls of the fallen soldiers rest in eternal peace, and may their sacrifices never be forgotten. We stand united in our resolve to honor their memory and work towards lasting peace and security for our state, region and nation at large”, the Deputy Speaker words end in quote.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the military should not only go after the soldiers killers but should go down heavily on anyone calling on people to sit-at-home.

The President said as presented in quote: “I have received yet another disheartening news of the killing of five soldiers by suspected militants of the proscribed terrorist organization, IPOB.

The slain soldiers were on peacekeeping duty in Aba, Abia State on Thursday when they were murdered, just two months after a similar tragic incident happened in Okuama in Delta state.

These unwarranted barbaric and evil acts stand condemned and should never be condoned and tolerated in our country.

Our soldiers and the police have the onerous duty to protect all of us from aggressors and non state actors. Hundreds of them have paid the ultimate price in fulfilment of their duty, while some have experienced the indignity of being manhandled by the people they protect.

They surely do not deserve the mindless attacks by unruly elements in our society.

The federal government will come down heavily against those who have made it a habit to needlessly attack the officers and men of our armed forces.

On no account should anyone, under any guise, have the audacity to kill agents of state.

I want to make it clear that the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the armed forces have the capacity to crush violent non-state actors, making our communities unsafe.

I urge security agencies not only to fish out the masterminds and perpetrators of the Aba attack, but also those calling on people to stay at home. Their action is nothing but a treasonable offence.

The fact that the security forces are exercising necessary restraints should not be mistaken for weakness.

We are working to build a peaceful and harmonious society, but nobody should be under any illusion that the government will not act appropriately when the lives of our officers and men are wantonly taken.

While my condolences go to the families of the five slain soldiers, their colleagues and the leadership of our armed forces, I urge other men and women on peacekeeping duty not to be discouraged by the unfortunate incident in Aba”.

Malcolm Omirhobo, a legal practitioner through his social media handles called on the authority of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, AFN to stop the act of collective punishment of the people of Aba. 

Omirhobo described tha action of the unknown gunmen as unjust and unacceptable with emphasis that the killing of the soldiers were done by criminals who do not represent the good people of Aba.

“To appreciate this post please see the definition of collective punishment.

Wikipedia defined Collective punishment as a punishment or sanction imposed on a group for acts allegedly perpetrated by a member of that group, which could be an ethnic or political group, or just the family, friends and neighbors of the perpetrator.

Because individuals who are not responsible for the acts are targeted, collective punishment is not compatible with the basic principle of individual responsibility.

The punished group may often have no direct association with the perpetrator other than living in the same area and can not be assumed to exercise control over the perpetrator’s actions.

Collective punishment is prohibited by treaty in both international and non-international armed conflicts”, Omirhobo stated partly in quote.