*"The gallant troops neutralized some of the irredentists," - Nigerian military confirms invasion.
Image:Vanguard.
Troops of the Nigerian Army on Monday morning invaded the Nkalaha community in Ishielu local government area of Ebonyi state shooting sporadically, sacking residents, and looting people's properties and small businesses within the community, according to SaharaReporters.
Nkalaha is a neighboring community to the crisis-torn Ebor, Umujiovu, and Mgbuji communities in the Eha-Amufu Isi-Uzo local government area of Enugu State where armed men suspected to be Fulani herders have been killing and pillaging in the past two weeks.
Some of the residents of the troubled Eha-Amufu communities fled to Nkalaha for safety.
However, following Monday's invasion of Nkalaha by the troops of the Nigerian military, Nkalaha residents together with those displaced from the Eha-Amufu communities are fleeing to Enugu town and Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
A community leader told SaharaReporters on Tuesday, "Now, the invasion of Nkalaha a neighboring community with Obeagu and Eha-Amufu by Nigeria military while they looked away when Fulani herdsmen and their collaborators from Agala community in Benue State attacked, speaks volumes of the intention of the invasion."
On one of the community's Facebook pages, an eyewitness wrote: "Our community heads, councilor, and commissioner must as a matter of urgency call a town hall meeting for what happened in Nkalaha today.
"Heard properties were destroyed and guns were shot (sic) too. There must be an immediate resolution to the problem so that our community will remain peaceful.
Also, the December tournament should be canceled ASAP because of the security situation at stake."
Image:SaharaReporters.
Onyekachukwu Obeagu, another community leader, told SaharaReporters that residents were fleeing from the military invasion. "As I speak to you now, my community has been completely deserted. The soldiers destroyed houses and looted businesses.
"Those who are remaining in the community are hiding in the bushes while some have fled the community.
I cannot authoritatively say whether anybody was killed or not. Probably after the invasion, we will conduct a headcount.
"Why are soldiers not confronting armed herdsmen that have sacked several communities in Eha-Amufu and rendered the city that has a population of over a hundred thousand desolate?" Obeagu asked.
Hundreds of troops of the Nigerian Army had earlier, on Monday, December 12, 2022, invaded the Obeagu community in the same Ishielu local government area of Ebonyi State, arrested and took away 10 persons including commercial motorcyclists and members of the community vigilante.
The Obeagu community established a vigilante group following the incessant killing of residents by armed herders who invaded the community on March 29, 2021, and October 13, 2022, killing 22 people including women and children.
Residents had complained that they got no help from any security agency in both cases while the herders' attacks lasted.
They also said that Ebonyi state Governor David Umahi reluctantly visited one of the gory sites 24 hours after the attacks.
The Nigerian military confirms the invasion.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has confirmed that a team made up of troops of 82 Division, Enugu, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), the Nigeria Police Force, and the Department of State Services, DSS invaded Amagu village and Nkalaha, an Ebonyi State community and raided camps allegedly occupied by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network.
A statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said during the raid, “The troops came in contact with members of the dissident group, resulting in exchange of fire. In the encounter, the gallant troops neutralized some of the irredentists, while others took to their heels abandoning the camp.
“On winning the firefight, troops recovered 102 rounds of 7.62mm special, 2 Pump Action guns, 5 locally made rifles, 1 roll of detonator 27, quantity 24 detonators, 33 electrical cables, quantity 12 of type 36 Hand Grenades, and 12 bags of substances suspected to be Marijuana.
"Other items recovered include 3 Motorcycles, 2 Generators, 1 Water pumping machine, Military woodland camouflage, and a Nigeria Police uniform.
“In a separate operation on the same date, troops on routine patrol in Agubeji community in Enugu state have arrested a suspect, one Mr. Martins Abogwu, for conniving with IPOB/ESN elements to unleash attacks on innocent citizens.
“The suspect, who claimed he is the Chief Security Officer of the community, is assisting in the preliminary investigations that followed and have led troops to their camp, where a shallow grave containing two decomposing bodies were uncovered. One of the corpses has been identified as a member of the local vigilante, who was kidnapped about a month ago.
“The Nigerian Army reassures law-abiding citizens of its unwavering resolve, in synergy with other services and security agencies to deny criminal elements the freedom of action and progressively rid the nation of identified threats to national security by executing its constitutional responsibilities in conformity with extant rules of engagement.
“The NA also encourages members of the public to work harmoniously with the security agencies to collectively make the South East and the entire nation secured and peaceful,” the statement said.
A human rights organization, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) had in its report on December, 1,2022 accused the Nigerian military and police of looking away when armed herdsmen invade Igbo communities, while rolling tanks into communities in search of youths and branding them IPOB/ESN members.
In that report, signed by Intersociety's principal officers, Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chinwe Umeche, Obianuju Igboeli, and Chidinma Udegbunam, the group said the "Nigerian Army and other deployed security personnel and their commanders in the East, particularly South-East have been chasing shadows and watching the militarily protected Jihadists in Eastern forests, bushes, farmlands, and major road networks and their bypasses slaughtering over 300 and abducting 400 since Jan 2022," with no record of arrests and prosecution of the culprits.
"The Nigerian Army’s bogus claims of “being nonpartisan and professional” are particularly called to question in the 19th-22nd Nov 2022 Eha-Amufu (Enugu) where Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen massacred dozens and abducted dozens of others in three days of jihadist genocidal attacks in three villages of the Community; with soldiers of the Nigerian Army disappearing and nowhere to be seen despite the closeness of the Army formations in the area."
The Eastern Security Network ESN, the security arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), led by the detained Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was set up to protect Eastern communities from the violent attacks of armed herders following the apparent failure of security agencies in the region to tackle the killings, rape, and kidnapping of residents of the communities.
Crime.
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