"A tragic attack on the military outpost in Metele village, Guzamala local government area of Borno State, has become the latest incident that these politicians have latched upon to ply their dangerous ware of objectifying the nation’s fallen heroes that have sacrificed their lives for the safety and security of other citizens," the statement read.
A civil society group, the Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism in Nigeria (CATE), has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of playing politics with the lives of soldiers killed in a recent attack in Metele, Borno State by Boko Haram insurgents.
According to Gabriel Onoja, the National Coordinator of the group, the PDP is attempting to "drag the military into partisan politics".
The group also expressed its condolences to the Nigerian Army over the death of the soldiers.
The statement read: "A tragic attack on the military outpost in Metele village, Guzamala local government area of Borno State, has become the latest incident that these politicians have latched upon to ply their dangerous ware of objectifying the nation’s fallen heroes that have sacrificed their lives for the safety and security of other citizens.
“We specifically refer to the statements issued by the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. They both only stopped short of mocking the fallen soldiers by the utterances and misrepresentation of facts contained in their responses to the attack and the resulting deaths.
“The PDP in its reaction sought to drag the military into partisan politics as it relied on insinuations and speculations to conclude that the presence of the Service Chiefs at an event in Abuja is itself enough to have allowed Boko Haram terrorists overrun the outpost.
“We believe Nigerians deserve better than this shallow perversion of logic that the architects of today’s problems are putting out, because even where politics is concerned there should be some measure of honour that demands that the truth be told.
"Nigerians truly sympathise with the military and will continue to stand strongly behind the Nigerian state to end the last remnants of Boko Haram Terrorism in Nigeria. We at the CATE express our condolences to the families and loved ones of the departed soldiers."