With regards the ongoing military operations in South East Nigeria, the Nigerian Army have said that allegations of attacks on Igbo communities by Individuals and groups posing as civil rights organizations are baseless and misleading.
In a statement by the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the allegation is an attempt by those whose acts have plainly validated the senseless criminality of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN), to incite the public against the Nigerian Army.
The most recent report from one of this organizations is an attempt to agitate the public against the Nigerian Army, he says.
Through false claims, this organizations have continued to inadvertently fuel disorder in the region.
Below is a breakdown of the statement released by the Nigerian Army;
Clearly, one of those so-called civil rights organizations, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (InterSociety), have a history of making false and unsubstantiated claims in order to support the activities of outlawed groups in Southern Nigeria.
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The latest in their propaganda campaign is a false report alleging that in 14 months, the Nigerian army razed at least 100 Igbo communities, attacked at least 1000 civilian homes, and destroyed property worth at least 40 billion Naira.
During that time, security officers allegedly killed 1150 innocent and defenseless Ndigbos, according to the report.
While the Nigerian Army does not want to be associated with organizations that sympathize with the nefarious activities and other heinous crimes taking place in the region, it is important to note that the Nigerian army is a cherished national institution that has fought on many fronts to defend Nigeria’s sovereignty and unity, and would not allow dissidents and their cohorts to jeopardize that national security.
It is imperative to underline that the NA is a professional force that operates in accordance with worldwide best practices and would not, under any circumstances, be complicit in the alleged extrajudicial killings and willful violations of citizens’ fundamental human rights, as claimed by InterSociety.
More concerning is the fact that organizations like InterSociety turn a blind eye when outlawed groups like IPOB/ESN use their illegal sit-at-home edict to deny law-abiding persons their basic right to freedom of movement.
It will be recalled that Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Faruk Yahaya, launched a new military operations in South East Nigeria around October 2021, claiming that it would combat escalating instability.
Exercise Golden Dawn was the codename for the military operation. And the mission was to combat insurgency, abduction, and escalating banditry in the South-East, which has resulted in indiscriminate deaths and the destruction of government buildings.
Also, the military operations in South East Nigeria, was supposed to put and end to the popular South East secessionist group, IPOB and their security arm, the Eastern Security Network.
Source: The Nigerian Army.
