Aba Massacre of Biafran Nationalists: Nigerian Army sends investigation team to verify Aba Massacre Claims

Aba Massacre of Biafran Nationalists: Nigerian Army sends investigation team to verify Aba Massacre Claims

The Nigerian Army has dispatched an investigative team to Aba, the commercial city of Abia State, to ascertain the veracity of claims that over 22 members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were recently massacred and dumped into a borrow pit by security forces.

This was disclosed at the weekend by the Provost Marshal, Nigerian Army, Brig-Gen. Ayuba Tedman Hamman, during the commissioning of the newly established Human Rights Desk, Department of Civil-Military Affairs, Army Headquarters (AHQ), Abuja.

Sundiata Post reports that Hamman while expressing the efforts of the Army under the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to improve its human rights records and image, Hamman clarified that most times, the claims made against the army are either unsubstantiated or outrightly exaggerated.

He also noted that even when verified, most of the violations usually attributed to their officers and soldiers, are perpetrated by some other forces during joint operations.

He said: “I want to react to my area of specialisation, which is investigation and enforcement. I want to say that since COAS was appointed I have been inundated with complaints of human rights reports.

“I think there is a lot of gap, and that’s why this desk was established which will also be channelled to my office. We found out that a lot of cases, when reports are being filed and sent to us or commence investigation they become impatient and we don’t see those people again. There are a lot of cases that you have to avail us more information but they are nowhere to be found.

“We have sent an investigative team to ascertain the issue in Abia State about the complaint that our men shot some people involved in peaceful protests. I have confidence in our team and I know this was a joint operation but since we are part of it, we still need to verify. We investigate and at the end of the day prosecute the culprits,” he assured.

The leadership of International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety), had in a detailed statement titled: ‘Ceaseless Killing Of Unarmed Citizens In Nigeria: Why Security Chiefs Must Desist From Provoking More Insurgencies Capable Of Plunging Nigeria Into Syrian Styled Violence’, called for urgent steps to stop the killing of IPOB members.

Intersociety had in the letter signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi and nine other human rights organisations, petitioned the Minister of Interior, Lt-Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazzzau (rtd); Minister of Defence, Brig-Gen. Muhammad Dan-Ali (rtd), and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin amongst others, alleging that security forces killed over 80 members of IPOB, with over 400 others receiving various degrees of injuries and many others unaccounted for in the last six months.

Umeagbalasi in the letter gave a detailed chronology and sequence of events of peaceful protests that led to the killings of IPOB members, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari. He also backed up the claims with horrifying pictorial evidence of decomposing bodies and video clips of shootings by security forces.

He said: “It is further recalled, Sirs that tens of thousands of members of IPOB and millions of their supporters had since July 2015 involved in peaceful and non violent street protests in 10 States of the Southeast and the South-south zones except Edo State. They also protested in Lagos, Abuja and dozens of foreign countries in Europe, North America and Asia. The protests peaked between October and December 2015 following the arrest and long and unconstitutional detention without fair charge and trial of the leader of IPOB, Prince Nnamdi Kanu.

“The peaceful and nonviolent protests gained currency following the Buhari administration’s soft spot for politics of exclusion and socio-ethnic divisiveness. The grand purpose of these peaceful and non violent protests under reference is for the Nigerian authorities to address the social anomalies complained of, non-violently, competently and satisfactorily.”

Umeagbalasi also gave further breakdown of what he described as the “consequences of government violent crackdown”, alleging that from their “recent extensive investigations…at least 80 innocent Nigerian citizens and mostly, members of the Igbo Ethnic Nationality in Nigeria who are sympathetic to pro Biafran self-determination agitation, have been killed by Nigerian security forces since August 30, 2015”.

According to him, “the victims of the referenced butcheries have never used or advocated violence, adding that “the leading killer-security force is the Nigerian Army, followed by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Navy”.

“Over 170 other innocent and unarmed citizens have also been shot and critically injured while about 400 others or more have been arrested, charged or detained without trial. Hundreds of them are currently facing charges contrary to democratic free speech in various magistrate courts in Southern Nigeria. Scores are also being detained without trial amidst torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatments or punishment in the hands of the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

“There are also reported cases of disappearances, abductions and pretrial killing of members of IPOB particularly in Southern Nigeria. In the context of security forces atrocity index, the Nigerian Army accounts for 60 per cent of the atrocities while the Nigeria Police is responsible for 30 per cent; leaving the remaining 10 per cent to other security forces including the Nigerian Navy. The Nigeria Police Force is solely responsible for indiscriminate arrests and disappearances of citizens, whom it labels “IPOB/MASSOB” members,” he stated.

The human rights activist further gave details of the alleged murder of the 80 murdered citizens, including “four killed in Awka and Onitsha on August 30, 2015; 13 killed in Onitsha on December 2, 2015; 12 killed in Onitsha on December 17, 2015 (eight were killed on the spot and four others died in hospital following gunshot wounds); eight killed in Aba on January 17, 2016; six killed in Aba on January 29, 2016 and 22 killed in Aba on 9th February 2016.”

According to Umeagbalasi, there were other killings that went unreported or unaccounted for till date, with “60 per cent of the murdered citizens, shot and killed on the spot by soldiers, their corpses were picked up by the same soldiers, taken to secret destinations and buried or dumped in secret graves or borrow pits”.

“In most cases, if not in all cases, Sirs, the said murdered citizens have their hands tied behind their backs, poured raw acid or other defacing and decimating chemical substances and laid face down to avoid easy identification and to erase traces. Those critically shot and injured by soldiers who are at the point of death are routinely shot dead and buried or dumped in a like manner,” he further claimed.

Umeagbalasi further gave sordid details of how soldiers and police allegedly massacred 22 Citizens in Aba and dumped 11 bodies in borrow pit.

He claimed that “the combined team of soldiers of the 144 Battalion located in Asa, Ukwa Ngwa West LGA of Abia State under the command of Lt-Col Kasim Umar Sidi and the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Abia State Command, headed by CP Habila Hosea ; aided by Aba Area Commander, ACP Peter Nwagbara and joined by some personnel of the Nigerian Navy Command (Finance & Logistics Command), Owerre-Nta in Abia State had on February 9, 2016, shot and killed 22 unarmed, innocent and non violent members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) at the National High School along Port Harcourt Road in Aba, Abia State”.

In a related development, the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) has concluded investigation of the incident involving their female cadets torturing a man for complimenting a female officer.

The Chief of Civil-Military Affairs (CCMA), Maj-Gen. Rogers Nicholas, disclosed at the weekend during the launch of the Human Rights Desk at the AHQ.

Nicholas who did not give much details, however noted that those found culpable have been punished appropriately.

He however used to opportunity to appeal to the members of the public to also protect the rights of the military, saying that there have been many instances where their rights have been violated by civilians.

“On the NDA incidents, those people are cadets who have not event been Commissioned officers. This happened in 2014, it has been investigated by the NDA and those involved punished.

“We have also had cases where the rights of the soldiers have been infringed, beaten and violated by the civilians. So I also expect you to protect the rights of the military and protect our interest,” he said.