Army denies report it massacred 1,150 South-East residents

The Nigerian Army has debunked a report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, which accused it of killing no fewer than 1,150 South-East residents.

In the report released on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, the group said the residents were massacred between October 2020 and December 2021 by security agencies deployed to the state and herdsmen.

But in a statement on Thursday, the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, refuted the claim, saying that the report was an attempt by the group to pitch Nigerians against the Nigerian Army.

He said, “The Nigerian Army has been notified of individuals and groups masquerading as civil rights organisations, whose activities have clearly endorsed the mindless criminalities of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network.

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“Unmistakably, one of those so-called civil rights groups, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, otherwise known as InterSociety, has an antecedent of making bogus and unsubstantiated claims, aimed at supporting the activities of outlawed groups in Southern Nigeria.

“The latest in their propaganda effort is the baseless report, where it alleged that in 14 months, troops razed not less than 100 Igbo communities, attacked not less than 1,000 dwelling houses belonging to unarmed civilians and destroyed property valued at not less than N40 billion. The report also alleged that security operatives killed 1,150 innocent and defenceless Ndigbo within the said period.

“This organisation’s latest report is an attempt to incite the public against the NA. The organisation has tacitly encouraged anarchy in the region through spurious allegations.

“It is instructive to state that the NA remains a cherished national institution that has fought at different fronts for the defence of the sovereignty and unity of Nigeria and would therefore not permit dissidents and their cohorts to undermine national security.”