Peter Obi Wrong To Describe Supersport Killers As ‘Non State Actors’-British Diplomat
A former British Diplomat, Mr David Roberts, has condemned last week’s killing of some SuperSport TV crew on Ihiala-Orlu Road in Anambra State, saying it was an unfortunate act of criminality.
The former diplomat, in a statement on Monday, expressed his heart-felt condolences to the families of the victims and their media organisations over the incident he said occurred despite spirited efforts by security agencies to rein in criminal elements in the country.
Last Tuesday, armed men attacked the broadcast station’s crew on its way to Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State capital, to cover the Nigeria-Libya Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match, killing two members and a policeman.
Reacting to the incident, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, blamed it on the actions of non-state actors, who had made the country uncomfortable for innocent citizens.
“Non-state actors have continued to inflict pain and sorrow on families whose loved ones are often kidnapped and, at times, killed in gruesome ways,” he said on his X-handle on Sunday, adding, “In particular, I condemn in its entirety the unfortunate killing of some crew members of SuperSport TV, who were attacked in a tragic ambush along the Ihiala-Orlu Road, Anambra State, a few days ago.”
However, Roberts, a former director of the British Council in Nigeria, clarified that the incident was an act of criminality by sundry criminal elements rather than terrorism, portrayed by Obi’s term non-state actor.
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“By using the words “non-state actors” to describe the perpetrators of this dastardly and cowardly attack, Mr Obi has perhaps deliberately or inadvertently given the international community a clue that this incident was an act of terror or an organised act by a separatist group,” he said.
The former diplomat said it was necessary to make this clarification because terming the event as terrorism tended to stigmatise Nigeria as a terror-invested state, explaining that while the investigation was ongoing, it was clear that it was a random act of criminality by armed robbers or kidnappers, which have occurred globally despite the best efforts of governments.
He said, “Using the term non-state actors in this incident unnecessarily stigmatises Nigeria, which may tank her index score in next year’s Global Terrorism Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace.”
Saying the use of the term by Obi was unfortunate, Roberts admonished influential and prominent Nigerians to be mindful of Nigeria’s international reputation whenever they made statements about its domestic affairs.
