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Unarmed innocent
girl shot death by the Nigeria army
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(Onitsha Nigeria, 30th of May 2016)-Barely five hours after our latest scorecard on one year in office
of the Buhari Administration was released, torrential calls came to us
concerning the massacre of innocent and unarmed citizens in three locations in
Anambra State today. The locations are Nkpor, Ifite-Dunu
and Nnewi. Those responsible for the latest
massacre just like those of 2nd and 17th of December 2015
are members of the Anambra State Joint Security Taskforce, constituted by
Governor Willie Obiano in his capacity as the Chief Security Officer of Anambra
State, who are answerable to Gen Muhammadu Buhari in his capacity as the
Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Personnel of the
Onitsha Military Cantonment under Col Issah Abdullahi and the Nigeria Police
Force, Anambra State Command, under CP Hosea Karma
participated in the massacre. Also participated are reinforcement detachments
from the 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army in Enugu as well as
personnel of the Delta State Police Command,
who blocked the Abraka end of Asaba in Delta State. They were reportedly under
a firm directive from Gen Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidency; supervised by the Obiano administration to “crush the procession
at all costs”.
From the detailed information available to us, 30th
of May of every year is a day set aside since 1966 as “International
Igbo Heroes’ Day Celebration” in honour of all those that died for the cause
and emancipation of Igbo Ethnic Nationality in Nigeria. The event is also marked in over thirty countries around the world. In solidarity with the event,
all the major markets in Onitsha and environs were closed by traders in support
of the event. It was on account of this that leading Igbo Self-Determination movements including IPOB and
MASSOB designated today in Anambra State to mark it with prayer session and
observation of minutes of silence for their slain compatriots. Following this,
the leadership of IPOB World Wide wrote the Commissioner of Police Anambra
State Command, Mr. Hosea Karma, to notify the Command formally of its intention
to hold prayer session near the Nkpor-Umuoji Road Government Motor Park, in
Nkpor, Idemili North LGA of Anambra State.
Following the receipt of the letter, the CP, Anambra
State, Mr. Hosea Karma, instead of inviting the signatories to the letter or
their representatives to agree on modalities for the Prayer Procession or
alternatively respond publicly to same concretely; the notification letter was
used by the addressee to plot violence of alarming magnitude against the
unarmed and nonviolent Self-Determination activists; leading to massive
deployment of heavy security personnel and dead weapons. Inter-service agency meetings were
further held and strategies mapped out against the IPOB and MASSOB
planned prayer procession. The latter, banking on its notification letter, was
taken unawares and ambushed; with its innocuous letter turning into “an
invitation for State violence”.
Heavy shootings and blockades by soldiers and police
started in the late night of 29th of May 2016 during which St Edmund
Catholic Church situated along Umuoji Road were invaded by soldiers of the
Onitsha Military Cantonment in the hours of the blue law, between 1.30am and
2am, leading to opening of fire on some IPOB and MASSOB members who arrived late
night of 29th of May and sought to catch some sleep before 12noon of
today, fixed for the prayer session and observation of minutes of silence for
their fallen heroes. The Church is a stone throw from
the venue of the botched event. Scores
of others were shot and taken away by soldiers to Onitsha Army Barracks.
Soldiers and
police also blocked all major roads leading into Onitsha and environs starting
from late night of 29th of May 2016. The major roads blocked are
Owerri Road, Asaba-Onitsha Head Bridge, Onitsha-Upper Iweka, Onitsha-Nkpor
Expressway, Oba-Nnewi Road, Ojoto-Umuoji Road, Nkpor-Ogidi-Old Road, etc.
Dozens of those coming from Port Harcourt, Aba, Owerri, Enugu, Asaba, etc were
arrested late night and dumped till this moment at Onitsha Army Barracks. Some
of them were shot in the same night and killed with their corpses taken away.
As usual, those
shot, killed or wounded were dumped in the military hilux vans and taken to
Onitsha Army Barracks. As if these were not enough, the military and police
personnel with dozens of security trucks stormed the proposed venue and opened
fire with live bullets on hundreds who had gathered for the prayer session. The
police and soldiers later went on rampage shooting indiscriminately in all
directions. Those who came through Ifite-Dunu
and Ogbunike to Nkpor were ambushed and shot at in their large numbers;
likewise those coming through Ojoto-Umuoji Road as well as those coming through
Onitsha-Owerri Road.
The soldiers and
police in their hilux vans later traced those shot dead and critically injured
ones and picked them from the scenes and headed towards the Onitsha Army
Barracks. Two eyewitnesses (one journalist and one IPOB member) told
Intersociety that they saw soldiers with three hilux vans with scores of slain
citizens. The journalist said he counted six dead bodies in a military hilux,
while the IPOB member said he saw two military hilux vans filled dead bodies.
Efforts made by sympathizers and IPOB members to take the critically shot
victims to hospital were rebuffed by soldiers and police who got them arrested.
For now, three hospitals: Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Uzondu Hospital and
Multicare Hospital are said to be treating some gun-shot victims.
The urgency of
this statement is to put the records straight and disabuse the sacred minds of
Nigerians from unpardonable and serial lies of the authorities of the Nigerian
security forces particularly the Nigerian Army who have already started dishing
out tissue of lies over the massacre. As we wait for further updates and
comprehensive compilation of casualty figures from credible independent sources
including Intersociety, we solemnly appeal to the general public to check the
whereabouts of their loved ones particularly those who passed through the areas
under reference. We are also aware that a number of passersby, artisans and
traders nearby were either shot and wounded, or shot and killed or arrested and
taken away by soldiers. For the purpose of any information from any member of
the public regarding their missing loved ones linked to the massacre, we urge
such persons to contact the phone numbers or email addresses below.
Signed:
For: International Society for Civil Liberties &
the Rule of Law
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
Barr Obianuju Igboeli, Head, Civil Liberties &
Rule of law Program
Mobile Line: +2348034186332
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