Many unarmed residents in the South-east of Nigeria have been killed by Nigerian troops deployed to check Biafra agitation in the region.
The killings usually happen during raids on suspected camps of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN).
IPOB is leading an agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which they want carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south.
On 30 August, for instance, three unarmed residents were killed when troops from 82 Division and 34 Brigade of the Nigerian Army invaded Orsu-Ihiteukwa, a community in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State, south-east Nigeria.
Army spokesperson Onyema Nwachukwu would later claim that those killed were IPOB members.
Two of the victims, Ugochukwu Obianeli and Nonso Izuegbu, were killed while they were moulding cement blocks in the community, PREMIUM TIMES reports.
One other victim, Nicholas Onwughala, an elderly man, was shot in his legs by the troops at Eke Ututu Market in the community, according to sources in the community.
He died the following morning, 31 August, because of complications from gunshot injuries.
Like in other previous incidents, the troops carried out the attacks as part of an onslaught against suspected members of IPOB.
“Each time the troops come, they carry out shootings. And most times, they end up killing some innocent people, during shooting with the supposed ESN boys,” Chidi Ibekaeme, a resident of Orsu-Ihiteukwa community said.
He said there had been no attack in the community until the troops began raiding suspected camps of the IPOB members in December 2021.
“I know of the three persons (killed by the troops on 31 August). Incidentally, one of them, Ugochukwu Obianeli, is my brother-in-law,” Mr Ibekaeme, a lawyer, said.
“We are living in fear. Each time we hear information that they are coming, we run away.”
Another resident of the community, Friday Nwajuo, narrated how the troops killed two of the victims and labelled them IPOB members.
“We ran when we heard the army people were coming,” Mr Nwajuo began.
“Within 20 minutes, the soldiers came and started shooting. So, the two boys, who were labourers in a block industry, ran away for safety. All of a sudden, they stopped shooting.
“When they (the two victims) came out, they thought the soldiers had left. So, the soldiers saw them and shot them dead, thinking they were ESN members,” he narrated.
Again, on 17 September, exactly 18 days after, the Orsu-Ihiteukwa community in Orsu Council Area of Imo State and Orsumugho, another community in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, were invaded by the troops, killing two unarmed residents and razing shops.
Both communities share boundaries.
The troops were said to have invaded Orsu-Ihiteukwa again at about 4 a.m., with many combatant vans, armoured tankers, and military helicopters.
Residents said the troops were firing shots and detonating bombs, while the helicopters hovered over the communities.
The shootings and bombardments were said to have disrupted a burial ceremony, causing guests to run inside bushes for safety.
It was gathered that the operation was carried out in collaboration with members of Ebubeagu, a security outfit backed by the Imo State Government.
A resident, Ifeanyichukwu Edurumba, 23, was said to have been whisked away from his house at about 12 p.m. and dragged to the market in Orsu-Ihiteukwa where he was allegedly killed by the troops.
His uncle’s wife, Ifeoma Onyebuchi, who was staying with him, narrated what happened.
“We were inside the house when we heard that army people were coming to the community. So, he (Edurumba) left his poultry farm and ran inside for safety. While we were inside, some people came and knocked on our door. They were a mixture of army people and Ebubeagu members, all in their uniforms.
“They ordered us to open the door when I asked who they were. They quickly broke the door and gained entry. The boy (Edurumba) ran under the bed with some children.
“One of them told us that if we don’t bring the boy, they will kill all of us. I told them the boy is an orphan and the only son of his late parents and that he is a poultry farmer and also an iron bender. I told them he didn’t do anything wrong.
“While I was talking, they went inside the room and dragged the boy out and took him away. They checked the boy’s poultry when they heard his chickens clucking. They later took the boy to Eke-Ututu Market and killed him,” she said.
‘They killed another boy’
Another resident, who said he witnessed the troops’ invasion, spoke with PREMIUM TIMES the following day, 18 September.
“They also killed one (other) boy in Orsumoghu, a neighbouring community here. I don’t know his name yet,” he said.
The man said he came face-to-face with the troops, while he was going to the market to buy an item, but that he hid from them for fear of being killed.
“They were burning houses and stalls. They used some hammers to break shops and took whatever they liked, such as beverages, and then set the shops ablaze.
“Whenever they (troops) come, they kill whoever they see, burn houses. If you come to this village now, everybody is crying. They have reduced us to rubble,” he said.
The troops, according to him, razed over 30 shops.
He said it disheartened that the Nigerian government would claim to be protecting lives and property, but turned around to order security agencies to kill residents and destroy their sources of livelihood.
Video clips which captured burning shops and motorcycles were circulated on different WhatsApp groups.
In one of the clips, a victim, Anselem Ohaachosi, whose shop was said to have been burnt down, lamented the frequent invasion of the community by troops.
“Yesterday, 17th of September 2022, a gang of Nigerian soldiers came to Eke-Ututu, Orsu-Ihiteukwa, destroyed peoples’ shops, properties (and) lives. They set my shop ablaze,” he said.
Mr Ohaachosi used to sell phones and phone accessories. He said all the items in the shop had been destroyed by the troops.
He said he went into the sales of phones because he could not find a job after graduating from Imo State University.
“Look at how they rendered me useless in Orsu-Ihiteukwa. The cost of what they damaged here is nothing less than N10 million. How can I start life afresh?”
Mr Ohaachosi said the troops were shouting, “Say no to IPOB” during the raid.
“Am I an IPOB member? Did they see any mark on me? I graduated from Imo State University and I am also a holder of a post-graduate diploma in education. I am an educationist. They have to pay for all these,” Mr Ohaachosi said.
Another clip showed helicopters hovering in the sky.
In another clip, apparently shot the following day, 18 September, people, whose shops were not affected during the operation, were seen hurriedly packing their goods out of the shops.
The invasion of the two South-east communities by the troops has attracted condemnations.
The military did not comment on the incident.
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State would later defend the attack, claiming that the troops raided and burnt some shops in Eke-Utu Market in Orsu-Ihiteukwa Community, because materials used for manufacturing Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were allegedly discovered in the market.
The governor claimed that suspected “bandits” operating in the area use the IEDs to fight security operatives and that an army officer, on duty in Orsu Awo-idemili community, died last month (August) from an explosion.
Mr Uzodinma incorrectly claimed that no life was lost in the attack. The governor was silent on the troops’ invasion of Orsumugho, a community in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
