Fact Check: Peter Obi Spoke Up Against Security Agents Killing In S/East, Reno Lied

On June 29, Saturday, a former aide to ex-president, Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, said the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, did not “for once” speak up for security men killed in the South-East region by unknown gunmen.

An influencer with about 2.5 million followers on X, Reno made the allegation while condemning Obi’s call for the federal government to release detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

In a press briefing, in Onitsha, on Saturday, the Labour Party chieftain said he believed that agitators should be discussed with and not incarcerated.

He added that Nnamdi Kanu, having been granted bail by court, should not be in detention for any reason.

Reno Omokri, on his X (formerly Twitter), in reaction to Obi’s statement alleged that the former governor of Anambra State has shown he has allegiance to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leadership.

Omokri said Obi had at no time spoken up for security men killed by unknown gunmen suspected to be IPOB members but was quick to call for Kanu’s release.

“By calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu today, Peter Obi finally exposed himself and his Obidients and where their allegiance lie. Don’t worry, Peter. Nigerians heard you in Ibadan, Kano, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Sokoto and Abeokuta. You, who have never for once spoken up for the over one hundred officers and men of our military and paramilitary forces killed by unknown gunmen suspected to be members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, are now calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, who made public broadcasts calling for his supporters to kill military, police and paramilitary men,” Reno wrote on his X handle on Saturday.

On Sunday, the former aide to ex-president, Jonathan, called on officers of security agencies to shun a vote for the former presidential candidate of Labour Party, if he contests in 2027 general election.

He said Obi does not value lives of security agents. He added that he (Obi) did not think that the attacks of unknown gunmen on security agents deserved punishment.

“I hope officers and men and women of the Nigerian Army, Airforce, Navy, Police, Department of State Security, Nigerian Intelligence Agency, Defence Intelligence Agency, Immigration, Customs, Prison and Civil Defence hand hear what Peter Obi said. If they have not, let me help them. He said: ‘There is no reason for Nnamdi Kanu’s continued detention.’

“This is a man ( Nnamdi Kanu) who made public broadcasts instructing his supporters to kill security forces and burn down their facilities. Since then, more than a hundred military and paramilitary men have been killed in the Southeast by unknown gunmen suspected to be members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra movement. However, Peter Obi does not think that this warrants any punishment.

“Will you accept a Commander-in-Chief who values your life so little? Remember this statement when Peter Obi asks for your votes in 2027?” Reno added.

According to Edward Buba, Nigeria Army Director of Media Operations, on Thursday, May 30, gunmen killed five soldiers at Obikabia Junction Checkpoint in Obingwa Local Government Areas adjourning Aba metropolis in Abia State were attacked and sadly killed by terrorists of IPOB.

IPOB had declared May 30 as Biafra Remembrance Day.

The killing of the soldiers was described by Peter Obi as a “dastardly act“.

He said the killing of the “brave’” soldiers was a “stark reminder of the escalating insecurity and violence” across the nation.

The former Anambra State governor also called for investigation and apprehension of the gunmen.

On his X handle, on May 31, he wrote, “I am appalled and saddened by the attack on our brave soldiers in Abia State yesterday, resulting in the death of five soldiers.

“This dastardly act remains condemnable as it is a stark reminder of the escalating insecurity and violence that has continued to plague our nation under our collective watch. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten, and we owe it to them to demand accountability and justice.

“Our failure as a nation to protect our citizens and security personnel is a clear dereliction of duty and sign of deficiency of the Nigerian state.”