Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party has expressed sadness over the ill-fated Air Force helicopter that claimed 36 soldiers in Niger on Monday morning.
Obi, the former Anambra governor made this know in a statement via his official X handle (formerly Twitter) in Lagos on Friday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Nigerian Air Force on Thursday, announced that an MI-171 Helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission crashed in Niger State.
A statement by the spokesman, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the aircraft crashed in Chukuba Village, Niger, saying that preliminary investigation had commenced to ascertain the cause of the air mishap.
Obi said the death of the soldiers, reportedly killed in a terrorist ambush in Niger and the ill-fated military helicopter, on a rescue mission, in the same state was unfortunate and disheartening.
He expressed concerns over the deplorable level of insecurity in most parts of the country which, had continued to cost the nation precious lives and property with the attendant economic costs.
Obi also expressed sympathy to families of the patriotic slain soldiers who had paid the supreme price for their fatherland in a very painful way, fighting against insecurity in the country.
“The continual loss of lives, of our military men and other citizens, to insecurity is very painful and disgusting.
“We must unite as a people, to subdue this monster of insecurity threatening our collective existence, without which, no development will be experienced in the country,” he said.
While commiserating with the military agencies over the sad incidents, Obi urged them not to be dispirited over the challenges they faced but to see them as the inevitable path to go before achieving a safe and secure nation for all.
He said: “I commiserate with our military agencies whose personnel have continued to pay the supreme price, for peace and security in our nation.
“I want you to remain courageous and resilient in the fight. I will also like to encourage a full-scale investigation to be carried out to unravel the cause of the helicopter crash as a way of preventing future occurrences.”
The former Anambra governor restated his commitment to ensuring safe and secure Nigerians, adding that fighting insecurity in the country would always be his top priority. According to him, fighting insecurity squarely, remains my priority in the New Nigeria, and so should it be, for long-lasting peace and progress in Nigeria.
Finally, Obi prayed God to grant eternal rest to the dead, console their families and console them as a nation over this great loss. He said they would never give up on their nation as it was their greatest heritage in whose service all their sacrifices became noble acts.
