Rivers rerun: Group condemns murder of policemen

A nongovernmental organization, the Network on Police Reforms in Nigeria, has condemned the brutal attack and murder of police officers on election duty in Rivers State.
The National Coordinator of NOPRIN, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said NOPRIN was deeply saddened by the police of the death of the policemen.
The policemen – Deputy Superintendent of Police Alkali Mohammed of Mobile Police Unit 48 and his orderly – according to a report by the Nigerian army, were ambushed by suspected political thugs and beheaded.
Five members of the team are still missing, with only three found alive.
Nwanguma said: “This act of killing police officers is audacious and condemnable, and we call on the authorities to hold responsible all the politicians who prepared the ground for the violence that attended the Rivers State national and state legislative elections by making hateful, provocative and inciting speeches on days before the election. Some politicians are on record for making reckless, irresponsible and inciting speeches and were responsible for arming and unleashing various gangs against their political opponents in a desperate bid to win the elections by all means, without regard to the will of the electorate.”
Nwanguma said that attacks on and killing of security and law enforcement agents should be considered a heinous crime and must be severely punished to create deterrence.
“This sad incident has brought to the fore again, the urgent need to adequately equip and motivate our police and other law enforcement agencies to enable them provide service to and protection, both for law abiding citizens and for themselves as well,” he said.
While sympathising with the families of the deceased police officers, NOPRIN urged police authorities to adequately compensate them for the noble service their deceased ones rendered to the country.
Nwanguma further said: “We call for prompt and effective investigations with a view to identifying the perpetrators and sponsors of this atrocious act. It is indeed saddening when police officers die in the line of duty. But when it happens, such officers should be held as heroes and their memories must be kept alive.”