Vice President Yemi Osinbajo called the killing of Harirat Jubril and her children in Anambra State a “terrible tragedy.”
According to the former Lagos State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, the incident, which occurred on Sunday, has the potential to spark ethnic and religious strife and must thus be condemned by all well-meaning people.
“What took place in Anambra with the killing of a woman and her children demeans us all. It is such a callous act and so brutal. And I think that we must be very careful, as a people, with this type of killings that are going on, especially where it is obviously to create such horror, annoyance and create a situation where we begin to have ethnic conflicts again and all that,” he told journalists after meeting the All Progressives Congress (APC) delegates in Makurdi, Benue State on Wednesday.
“And I think we must all be careful and condemn it in the strongest possible terms, there is no excuse for it whatsoever. We must not allow a situation where we get to the point where we even countenance individuals who can do this sort of thing.
“How does anyone kill a woman and her children? I think it is such a terrible tragedy condemnable by all. Mr President has spoken about it and I just want to join my voice with those of others who are completely outraged by it.”
The APC chieftain also condemned the rising levels of insecurity in the South East and some parts of Nigeria and reiterated President Muhammadu Buhari’s vow to flush out the miscreants.
“In his statement earlier today, President Muhammadu Buhari very strongly condemned what he described as “wild, barbarous and wanton killings of innocent people” in the South-East as well as the other parts of the country, which he also described as “deeply distressing,” the statement by Osinbajo’s media aide, Laolu Akande, re-echoed.
“The President then warned the perpetrators of these acts to expect [a] tough response from the security forces”.
Osinbajo is the latest to join the long list of reactions and condemnation that have trailed the incident.
While the woman, who was reported to be pregnant, has been buried, Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State had also faulted the killing. In the wake of the spike in insecurity in the southeast state, he imposed a curfew on eight local government areas.