Image:SaharaReporters
One person was severely wounded and
Nine persons, mostly teenagers, including five members of the community vigilante were arrested when troops of the Nigerian Army numbering over 100 invaded five villages of the Obeagu community in Ishielu local government area of Ebonyi state on Monday, according to SaharaReporters.
A resident of the community Odo Emeka revealed that an ex-soldier identified as Anayo Agbo was taken from his house in Amata village during the invasion by the Nigerian Army.
In a short video seen by SaharaReporters on Tuesday, one of the victims, a middle-aged man shot by the soldiers, was thanking the Almighty God for keeping him alive.
The man was heard saying in Igbo; "Good morning my people, this is what we saw this morning. This is what Nigerian Army troops that invaded our community this morning did to me. I narrowly escaped. This hand you are seeing is aching from a gunshot. Nobody in the community now knows where each person has run to.
"Everybody in the community knows that I came home on Saturday and buried my brother. And this morning Nigerian soldiers that were supposed to defend and protect me and other people in the community wanted to kill me.
Image:SaharaReporters
"I committed no offense. I was inside my house and the invading soldiers were shooting directly into the house from all directions. Their intention was to massacre people but God in his infinite mercy saved my life."
The troops also allegedly ransacked homes, and farm settlements and looted small businesses in the community.
Mr. Odo-Odo Nweze, a resident of the community, told SaharaReporters that his shop was looted by the soldiers.
"The soldiers drank 10 Cartons of beer and two crates of Malta. They also took away seven cartons of beer. I am still taking stocks now to know about other things they took away.
"About 20 provisions stores were looted across the community. I am doing honest and legitimate business and Nigerian security personnel has looted, so the government is encouraging me to go into crime."
He added, I am a graduate of mathematics for seven years without a meaningful job and decided to come home to set up this business where I cannot rent. But what do I now get?
"Destruction by the Nigerian government that could not provide a job for me? If I am in the military I should be a major or captain but because I am an Igbo man I can't be listed as a cadet in the Nigerian military," Nweze said.
Commercial motorcyclists(okada)and their passengers were among those taken away by the soldiers along the Nkalagu road, which was the only route left open into the community when the soldiers entered.
According to SaharaReporters the soldiers also took away cartridges and guns acquired by some members of the community vigilantes and residents for self-defense following the invasion of their community by armed herdsmen in March 2021 and October 2022.
SaharaReporters on Monday had reported that the Nigerian soldiers who were purportedly searching for members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) invaded the Obeagu community shooting sporadically and sacking residents many of whom fled to neighboring Enugu communities.
On October 13, 2022, one person was killed, two wounded and three persons kidnapped when armed herders attacked the community.
The community later paid millions in ransom to secure the release of those abducted.
Earlier on March 29, 2021, armed herdsmen also invaded the community and killed 21 people- an attack which the
the federal government called a reprisal attack for three cows that were killed in the community during the END SARS protest.
That attack by herders came after the Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, had arrested leaders of the community and forced them to pay millions to the owners of the cows.
SaharaReporters noted that no security agent intervened during both attacks on the community by the armed herders and none of the assailants has been arrested to date, although a phone belonging to one of the attackers was recovered from the scene of the incident and later handed over to the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo during his visit to the community weeks after the massacre.
With the arrest of some of the community vigilante members and seizure of their arms for self-defense, residents of the Obeagu community are worried that the Nigerian Army has left them vulnerable to fresh invasions by armed Fulani herdsmen, SaharaReporters said.
The Nigerian Army has not made any comment on the development.
Politics and Opinion
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