Former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately intervene to halt extra-judicial killings by security agencies in the country while enforcing the lockdown ordered by government.

Ekweremadu, who represents Enugu West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, condemned the killings that have been reported in several parts of the country, describing them as needless.

The lawmaker also called on President Buhari, the Federal Government and all relevant security agencies to carry out a holistic investigation into the matter with a view to ensuring that the reprehensible acts are nipped in the bud and the culprits, brought to book.

A statement, signed by his Media Adviser, Uche Anichukwu on Thursday, read: “I am deeply saddened by report from the National Human Rights Commission of the loss of 18 Nigerian lives in the hands of security agents enforcing the lockdown ordered by the Federal Government and various state governments.

“This is most unfortunate and condemnable, especially when we consider that the number of Coronavirus fatalities in the country stands at 12, as at today.

“I call on President Muhammadu Buhari and the relevant security and government agencies to ensure that the reprehensible acts are thoroughly investigated and the culprits brought to book. We must ensure that law enforcement agents do not turn their weapons against the very citizens they are supposed to protect.

“While the lockdowns and other precautionary measures are very necessary for containing the pandemic, they must be enforced with every sense of professionalism, discipline, restraint, empathy, and above all, with utmost respect for human life, which the lockdowns were put in place to protect in the first place.”

He also consoled with the families of those that lost their lives, praying that God grant them eternal repose.