Senate President mourns victims of Borno IDP camp fire incident

• Condemns alleged extra-judicial killings during lockdowns

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has commiserated with the victims of the fire incident that occurred on Thursday at a camp housing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ngala, Borno State.

Lawan mourned the 14 who lost their lives and sympathised with those injured in the inferno.

The Senate President commiserated with the Government and people of Borno State over the tragic incident.

Lawan called on relevant authorities to investigate the incident with a view to averting a re-occurrence.

In another development, the Senate President condemned in strong term the cases of extra-judicial killings by security agents as reported by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the course of the enforcement of the lockdown ordered in parts of the country to contain the spread of the Coronavirus.

Lawan said he was saddened by the report by the NHRC that 18 persons were killed by high-handed security officers tasked to enforce the stay-at-home directives.

The Senate President said that extra-judicial killings, in whatever guise, should be discouraged in our society. He called for a  thorough investigation of the cases and that those indicted be promptly brought to account.

“Life is sacred. It is a tragedy that those asked to enforce compliance with emergency measures adopted for public safety are now being accused of responsibility for needless and totally avoidable deaths of citizens,” Lawan said.

The Senate President said any officer found culpable of unprofessional use of weapons should, as a standard practice, be made to face prosecution.

Lawan urged Nigerians to continue to cooperate with the authorities as they strive to defend the country against the deadly virus.