Nigerians have criticized the Nigerian Army for allegedly going on a rampage, arresting, and killing innocent youths in Obikabia, following the killing of soldiers in the community.
In a series of comments and videos on X on Saturday, Nigerians alleged that operatives of the Nigerian Army arrested several young men in the region in retaliation for the killing of five soldiers by suspected IPOB members.
The Nigerian Army had vowed to handle the situation fiercely and bring the culprits to book.
However, the modus operandi of the Army in apprehending the culprits has been met with criticism.
Chronicle NG reports that a Nigerian medical practitioner, Dr. Rose Agwu, alleged that her 15-year-old brother and sister were arrested by soldiers who broke into their home in Obikabia, Abia State, in the early hours of Saturday.
Agwu mentioned that her siblings, who were arrested by the soldiers, are law-abiding citizens who should not be made to suffer the abuse of their constitutional rights.
Reacting to the alleged arbitrary arrest of young people in Obikabia, the vicinity of the incident, Samuel Ajayi, a social media influencer, mentioned, “Terrorists attacked you, went their way.
“You went around picking up people in the area indiscriminately, even as young as 15, to an unknown location. You’ll torture them, perhaps kill some; you’ve done it before.
“Real terrorists are still intact in their location; you won’t conduct a proper investigation and gather intelligence to go after them. You’re not so different from the terrorists.”
In his reaction, Oseni Olumide noted that “the perpetrators would have been long gone, and the innocent would end up paying for it. This modus operandi ain’t solving our problems. We need a more holistic approach to solving such issues.”
Ugochukwu alleged in his reaction that the Nigerian Army “only has power when it comes to civilians. Several terrorist groups are having field days in the North, yet they cannot do anything about it.”
An X user, simply identified as Ifeanyichukwu, alleged that his friend was shot dead by soldiers during the raid on the Obikabia community.
“My childhood friend was killed yesterday morning by this same format; the mother, a widow, can’t survive this.
“A promising young man. He does tiling. He is not an IPOB member; he was brought out of his house while sleeping and shot,” Ifeanyichukwu alleged.
Senex Virtus, while reacting to the development, pointed out why the “Army should never be involved with civil affairs. It’s a sit-at-home for God’s sake.
“No one has been able to unmask and apprehend these unknown gunmen. They keep killing and abducting innocent young Igbo males in disguise. This is the same army I swore to join years ago.”
At the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Army had yet to comment on the allegations.
