Edwin Clark, the elder statesman and prominent leader of the Ijaw Nation, has strongly denounced the recent killings of soldiers in Delta State, characterizing it as an unprecedented tragedy in Nigeria’s history.
Expressing his dismay, Clark labeled the incident as shocking, barbaric, and wicked, emphasizing the severity of the situation.
Furthermore, he called for concerted efforts from both the communities and the military to collaborate in identifying and bringing the perpetrator(s) to justice.
He conveyed these sentiments during an interview on Tuesday on Arise Television’s News program.
Clark additionally urged soldiers to exercise restraint and avoid taking the law into their own hands. He emphasized that with the advancement of modern technology, they should swiftly identify those responsible for the crime.
“What happened a few days ago is very shocking, very barbaric and wicked. I think what is required really, the military together with the communities, all of us should take that task to look for these people who committed this murder. It is very, very important.
“In fact, I was so sad when I heard that Lt Col. Ali was involved because on Thursday, 14 March, I spoke to him. I think about 8:45 about my dead younger brother, Col Bernard Clark (rtd), who died recently and was to be buried on Friday to have a military burial.
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“I had to contact him. And he told me he was in a vehicle and that he would speak to me later, only to hear that he was among them. At that time, he was speaking to me from Agbor in Delta State.
“There’s another one, Major B. I spoke to him about the same time on Wednesday. So I am indeed very sad that we should lose people at a time, even in the Boko Haram war we have never lost soldiers like that. We all support Mr President when he said the people should be looked for,” he said.
Appealing to the military to act with restraint while going after perpetrators to avoid inflicting more collateral damage, Clark said: “Well, my appeal to our gallant soldiers is that they should act maturely and not take the law in their own hands. I know they are provoked. We are all provoked. There are innocent children, and pregnant women everywhere.
“As far as I am concerned, we should appeal to the military to take it easy. They have all the modern technology. They should be able to fish out very soon those who committed this crime.
“One should not blame the army so much for whatever must have happened. It’s all collateral damages,” he said.
