Not less than 550 Easterners were killed in ten months by Nigerian security forces, says Intersociety.
Troops of the Nigerian Army have invaded the Amangwu community in the Ohafia local government area of Abia state, killing ten persons, razing homes, and sacking the residents.
The invasion by soldiers of the 14 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Ohafia, according to a report by the Daily Sun started on Thursday last week over an alleged missing soldier.
The soldier who was allegedly on leave had visited his village, Ikwun, in Cross Rivers State and was returning to his base when he got missing at the border between Amuma Ohafia and Amangwu, about 3 kilometers from Amangwu community.
Following that, troops reportedly swooped on the community, shooting sporadically and forcing natives to flee.
The Daily Sun report said the invading soldiers arrested many natives, some of whom have not been seen since then.
Some natives who escaped to nearby bushes and villages were yet to return home as the soldiers are said to have occupied and laid siege on the community, barring people from going in or out of Amangwu and allegedly breaking into houses and looting people's property.
According to Sahara Reporters, a resident of the area, who identified simply as Umah and who disclosed that he spoke from his hideout inside the bush claimed that his younger brother was among those killed on Sunday by the soldiers who laid an ambush on them.
He equally revealed that a woman who returned from Aba last week to bury her husband, died during the military invasion and her corpse was yet to be transferred to a mortuary as nobody could enter the village to retrieve her remains from her house.
“The woman came back last week to bury her husband and on the first day of the invasion, she collapsed and died and the body is yet to be taken to the mortuary because nobody is allowed in or out of Amangwu.”
A poultry farmer in the area, Kalu said he and his attendants abandoned their poultry farm with over 1,000 birds and fled the community. He lamented that he did not know the fate of the birds.
“As I talk to you, my village, Amangwu Ohafia has been invaded by the army garrison in Ohafia. Since Thursday (last week) since the invasion commenced, over ten people have been killed,” Kalu said.
“Two youths were shot dead yesterday (Sunday), and the villagers have all fled into the bush,” he lamented.
“In March this year, Amangwu was invaded by the same army in Ohafia and about 40 houses were burnt by the army, those houses are still there not yet rebuilt.
“They claimed their reason for that mayhem was that they’re looking for the IPOB, but I don’t know the reason they will give for this one.”
The people of Amangwu Ohafia, both at home and abroad have called on Nigerian military authorities to end the military siege on their community without further delay as according to them the alleged missing soldier was not in any way within Amangwu.
When contacted, the Army Public Relations Officer (APRO), Lt. Innocent Omale, simply said he was “not in the picture.”
Efforts by Sahara Reporters to speak with the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, was not successful as he could neither answer his calls nor respond to a text message.
Unarmed, Defenseless Easterners Killed By Security Forces In Ten Months.
The invasion of the Amangwu community is coming in the wake of the latest report by the Human Rights group, Intersociety in which it cataloged the many killings and abuses in the country's Eastern region from January to October 2022 which it blamed on Nigerian security forces.
In the report released on Monday and signed by Intersociety principal officer, Emeka Umeagbalasi,
Chinwe Umeche, Chidinma Udegbunam,
and Ndidiamaka Chinaza Bernard, the group said, "Also involved in the massacre of defenseless citizens in the country since January to October 2022 are religiously radicalized and ethnically biased Nigerian security forces (Military, spy Police and various Police crack squads).
"The Nigerian security forces under reference are responsible for shooting and killing of not less than 550 defenseless and unarmed citizens of Old Eastern Nigeria especially defenseless members of the Igbo Ethnic Nationality; shot and killed and falsely, discriminatorily, and hatefully labeled “IPOB members” or “parents or brothers or sisters or wives or in-laws or relatives or children of IPOB members”.
"Out of the 550 civilian deaths perpetrated by Nigeria’s security forces, 350 deaths were recorded between January and June 2022, and 200 others were recorded from July to Oct 2022. The killings by Nigeria’s security forces within the period under review also involved the wanton destruction of over 600 civilian homes and other nonviolent properties worth billions of naira or tens of millions of dollars. The 550 defenseless civilian lives and 600 homes and other properties were wantonly destroyed on the grounds of religion and ethnicity; which explains their addition to Intersociety’s list of persecuted Christians and their wantonly destroyed properties in Nigeria.
"The 550 deaths also arose from open and secret military and police killings. Open killings include the targeted killing of unarmed and defenseless citizens at crime scenes or their vicinities and labeling them “ESN/IPOB/Unknown Gunmen killed during an exchange of gunfire with security forces” as well as the secret or custodial killing of unarmed citizens arrested alive and taken into custody or captivity where they are tortured to death or shot and killed in the hours of the blue law."
IPOB crowd
Breakdown Of Deaths According To States
Intersociety said the killings were done by military and police officers deployed to Eastern Nigeria. "Apart from the 3020 of the 4020 deaths distributed according to states above, there are also remaining 1000 others, out of which 550 were perpetrated by the deployed military and police personnel in the Southeast and the South-South or Old Eastern Nigeria.
"The 231 of the remaining 1000 deaths represent 10% of the 2,315 abducted citizens presumed to have died in captivity; having been abducted and disappeared without traces ten months after their abduction by terror Jihadists."
The rights group also ranked Imo state highest in several deaths of unarmed citizens caused by security agents in the Southeast.
"The State by State breakdown of the 550 military and police generated citizens' deaths indicate that Imo State recorded the highest number with at least 250 unarmed citizens' deaths, followed by Anambra with no fewer than 120 unarmed citizens' deaths, Abia at least 80 unarmed citizens' deaths, Ebonyi 60 (including killings perpetrated by the Nigerian Army-allied Ebubeagu Government militias), Enugu 50 and Rivers 40 deaths.
"Pockets of such killings also took place in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States within the period under review, Intersociety observed.
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