From Nonye Udumiri, Aba
…faults deployment of Muslims to head military formations in Christian dominated areas
…says death of a soldier in Christian communities attracts genocidal reprisal
A human rights research and advocacy group, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), said that the Nigerian military within 10 months, allegedly killed 350 Christian Civilians.
Intersociety in a statement signed on Saturday, 10th April 2021, by its Principal Officers: Emeka Umeagbalasi, Obianuju Igboeli and Chidimma Udegbunam made available to our reporter, accused the army of massacring of defenceless Christian civilians with uttermost impunity.
The research and investigative rights group said that in the past ten months surveyed, or from July 2020 to first week of April 2021, 350 defenseless Christian civilians, if not more, have been massacred by the Army in its peacetime internal security operations (non war situations).
Explaining how 350 Christian civilians were massacred by Army in 10 months, the Intersociety gave a list of event and places the alleged massacre took place, the date and months.
“In Takum Taraba, 30 unarmed Christian civilians were killed by soldiers on 29th/30th June 2020 and at Emene in Enugu, at least 30 Christian civilians were killed.
“On 20th Oct 2020, at least 20 mostly Christians were killed at Lekki in Lagos State and across the Southeast during EndSARS protests in the same Oct 2020, at least 30 defenseless Christian civilians were killed by soldiers in Enugu, Abia, Anambra, Imo and Ebonyi.
“Between 21st Oct and mid Nov 2020, Army massacred at least 102 Christian civilians in Obigbo and environs in Rivers State. Between 14th and 22nd Jan 2021, Army killed at least ten Christian civilians including six farmers in Orlu, Imo State.
“On 5th April 2020, at least 30 Christian civilians were killed by soldiers in Essien-Udim, Akwa Ibom State and on 6th to 7th April 2021, 100 Christian civilians or more were massacred by soldiers in Shangev-Tiev, Konshisha Local Government Area located in Benue State and dozens of others are still missing. These are just to cite but a few.”
Intersociety said that the most disheartening of it all is that the defenseless victims, slain on the grounds of their religion and ethnicity, were massacred by soldiers in revenge for loss of their colleagues.
They said that it has become a norm in Nigeria that ‘when criminal citizens’ attack and kill soldiers, the Army turns around and massacres defenseless civilians, especially Christian civilians in revenge and labels the slain victims as “hoodlums”.
The group further faulted the deployment of Muslims to head military, intelligence and security formations in the Christian dominated parts of the country, describing it as part of the jihadist agenda.
The group said it has also investigated and found that one of the major triggers of Army targeted massacre of defenseless Christian civilian population at slightest or no provocation in Nigeria especially in the Christian held part is domination and control of key Army commands in the areas by senior officers of Fulani-Hausa Muslim extraction.
The group on the other hand, said that it also found out that Christian Army commanders in Muslim held Northern part of the country are minutely insignificant in umber and where they are posted, they tightly work under what appears to be “caliphate instructions”.
Intersociety said that the takeover and control of key Army formations in Christian held part of the country by these Muslim officers is found to be a deliberate policy of the present government of Nigeria and has been majorly responsible for disproportionate security and safety of the affected Christian civilian population and their properties.
The group said the posting of Muslim Army Commanders into Christian dominated parts not only put Christian civilians in danger in their various communities, but also exposing them to attacks by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen, jihadist Fulani “Bandits” and others.
Intersociety went on to list the names of the Muslim Army Commanders in the nine Christian held States of Benue, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Imo, Rivers, Abia, Rivers and Akwa Ibom explaining that they discovered that all their key Army commanders are Fulani-Hausa Muslim officers and one Southwest Muslim.
“In Benue State, Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke is Major Gen Yekini Adeyemi (Southwest Muslim), Commander of 401 Special Forces Brigade, Makurdi is Brigadier Gen Samai’la Mohammed Uba (Fulani-Hausa Muslim) and Commanding Officer of 72 Special Forces Battalion, Makurdi (as at Jan 2021) is Lt Col A.D. Alhassan (Fulani-Hausa Muslim).
“In Edo State, Brigade Commander of 4 Brigade, Benin is Brigadier Gen MA Sadiq (Fulani-Hausa Muslim), in Delta State, Brigade Commander of 63 Brigade; Asaba is Brigadier Gen A Idris (Fulani-Hausa Muslim).
“In Anambra State, Cantonment Commandant of the 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha is Col Abdulsalam Abubakar Sambo (Fulani-Hausa Muslim), in Imo State, Brigade Commander of 34 Brigade, Obinze is Brigadier Gen Ibrahim Tukura (Fulani-Hausa Muslim), in Abia State, Brigade Commander of 14 Brigade, Ohafia is Brig Gen M. Ibrahim (Fulani-Hausa Muslim).
“In Akwa Ibom State, Brigade Commander of 2 Brigade, Uyo is Brigadier Gen Faruk Mijinyawa (Fulani-Hausa Muslim) and in Rivers State, GOC, 6 Division, Port Harcourt is Major Gen Sambo G Mohammed (Fulani-Hausa Muslim). These are just to mention but a few.”
The group said that the Nigerian Army has adopted the slogan that it a taboo for soldiers to die, but now customary for civilians to be massacred, as the army now enjoys carrying reprisal attacks on innocent civilians in Christian communities whenever attacked by criminal elements.
“It further saddens our heart that security and safety of the defenseless civilian citizens of Nigeria have now been turned upside down and privatized by the country’s security forces particularly the Nigerian Army; whereby ‘it is now a taboo for soldiers or other security personnel to die in the line of their duties, but customary for civilians to be massacred’.
“That is to say that death of a soldier in nowadays Nigeria instantly attracts genocidal reprisal against defenseless civilians particularly Christians.
“Despite being paid and catered for on hourly and daily basis by Nigerians and their commonwealth to defend and protect defenseless citizens of the country and their properties, the reverse is now the case.”
Intersociety revealed that religious profiling and hate soldiering are on rampage in Nigeria, as the Army, from all indications, is deriving sadistic joy in turning its weapons of death against defenseless Christian civilians at slightest or no provocation, but rescinding same or looking blindly the other side when attacked by Muslims in Muslim areas.
“Following our recent investigative findings, it was found that the Army lost at least 300 soldiers in 2020 and most of them were killed in the Muslim held Northeast and Northwest by Muslim insurgency groups and yet, heaven did not fall.
“The Army also does little or nothing when Muslim insurgency group like jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and jihadist Fulani “Bandits” attack and slaughter defenseless citizens especially Christians.
“In the three months and ten days of this 2021, according to the Nigerian Security Weekly Tracker reports of the Council on Foreign Relations owned by John Campbell, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria, Nigerian Army has lost a total of 70 soldiers, with 58 lost in Borno State alone, Nasarawa nine, Gusau three and so on (compared to about 25 in Benue, SS and SE);
“yet the attackers are still on the prowl and the communities where the attacks took place have not been wiped out or razed. Such Muslim held communities including Damboa, Dikwa, Chibok, Maiduguri, Nasarawa, Gusau, Kukawa, Marte, Koya and Guzamala are till date inhabited and their houses, mosques and emir palaces intact.”
Intersociety said that contrary to the treatments given to Muslim communities, the recent case in Akwa-Ibom and Benue State communities that are Christian dominated prove the religious profiling of the Nigerian Army.
“For losing 11 soldiers in Benue State, 100 defenseless Christian civilians or more were massacred and dozens gone missing and their dwelling houses and properties including the Palace of the respected Traditional Ruler of Agidi (Tyoor Unaha Koko) razed or set on fire.
“In Akwa Ibom State (Essien-Udim LGA), for losing some police officers and others to criminal citizens, defenseless Christian civilians numbering 30 or more were slaughtered by soldiers and their homes and properties razed or burnt.
“Survivors were forced to flee and take refuge in a Catholic Church. According to facts emerging from Shangev-Tiev, Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue, apart from massacring 100 or more, the Nigerian Army also ‘bombed, razed and demolished farms, schools, hospitals and residences’ belonging to over 15 rural Christian Communities of Bonta, Tse-Jembe, Tse-Anyom, Gbinde, Mbaakpur, Aku, Agidi, Gungul, Adoka, Guleya, Awajir, Shiliki, Achono and Ulam Communities” and forced thousands to flee their homes till date.”
Intersociety said that the Benue Army massacre, the latest in its litany of civilian massacres since August 2015, truly and fully bears color of religious and ethnic profiling and hate soldiering.
“Otherwise how could soldiers, sent to man and patrol boundary demarcation areas between the people of Shangev-Tiev in Konshisha Local Government and the ancestral Igede Igbo Community in Okpute located in Oju Local Government turn around and levy unprovoked massacre on same citizens they were sent to protect?
“Yet the same soldiers had severally turned and are still turning blind eyes against genocidal Fulani Herdsmen who have massacred over 400 Benue Christians since Jan 2020 and recently attempted to assassinate the Christian sitting Governor of the State.
“This is to the extent that till date, no single jihadist attacker has been apprehended by the Army even when the group that did the attack came out and claimed responsibility.”
