Mr. Ibrahim Emokpaire, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in Rivers ahead of Saturday’s elections.
Emokpaire told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja that the call had become necessary following the insecurity and killings that characterised the Feb. 23, Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.
Emokpaire, a former APC National Chairmanship aspirant, particularly condemned the killing of soldiers in the state.
He noted that this was not the first time soldiers and other security agents would be killed in Rivers.
According to him, there was no justifiable reason for soldiers and even ordinary citizens to be killed no matter the provocation.
“There is no country in the whole world where military personnel will be mowed down and the Commande-In-Chief will take it lightly with perpetrators of such heinous crime,’’ Emokpaire said.
He said that irrespective of the immunity of Rivers State Governor Wike, the Federal Government should declare a state of emergency in the state.
This, he said was critical to deter others who think they could kill soldiers and other citizens and get away with it or without consequences.
“The men in uniform that are protecting the country cannot just be mowed down without consequences. These are people that have committed their lives to protecting Nigerians.
“Nobody, however, highly placed either with immunity or no immunity from any part of the country has the right to kill soldiers without consequences,’’ he said.
