Apo killing not extra-judicial, says Senate

Senate on Wednesday considered and adopted the report of its Joint committee that investigated the September Apo killing, declaring that the security agents that carried out the operation were not involved in extra-judicial killing.
A combined team of army and security agencies had raided a semi-detached twin duplex at the back of Apo legislative quarters, in search of cache of ammunitions allegedly buried underground in the building by Boko Haram.
However, while carrying out the search, the security operatives claimed some of the occupants, allegedly members of the dreaded Islamist sect, Boko Haram opened fire at them and in the process of retaliation, seven of the occupants were killed while about 13 sustained various degrees of injury and rushed to Asokoro General hospital.
But, sequel to the outrage that greeted the killing, the Senate at its sitting on September 24th directed its committees on National Security and Intelligence and Judiciary, Human Rights to investigation the circumstances that led to the incidence at Apo, Abuja.
While adopting the report of the committee headed by Mohammed Magoro, the Senate also called on the Federal government to sustain on-going military onslaught against the insurgents across the country.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu who presided over plenary said the adoption of the report was necessary “to encourage the Federal government to continue to do all that is possible to defeat the Boko Haram terrorists”.

He however, urged “the security agencies to supervise more closely security operations at the tactical levels”, adding that “governments at all levels should tackle the problem of youth unemployment by creating programmes which will focus on enhancing self employment”.
The Apo incident, the committee noted “though tragic and regrettable is an isolated case in view of the fact that since January 2013 to date, security agencies had carried out about 153 operations and many arrests made without expending a single bullet”.
Magoro, also said the Apo incidence “was an urgent and necessary operation carried out to pre-empt the planned attack on some locations on 22nd September by the insurgents”.