The Nigerian Army has been accused of indiscriminately arresting Igbo youths over an alleged link with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Naija News understands that the alarm was raised by the Igbo National Council INC.
The Southeast group in a statement released on Wednesday, April 21, alleged that the Nigerian Army has continued to raid some communities in Imo State to effect the arrest of residents, especially youths and women.
The INC in the statement signed by its President, Chilos Godsent urged Imo Governor, Hope Uzodinma and President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to quickly intervene and stop the Army from further raiding and arresting youths and women of these communities over allegation of being members of IPOB.
The group said, “Information reaching our news desk indicated that the clandestine neo-Mafia Gestapo style of the arrest of Igbo Youths and Women started on Sunday 18th April 2021 and communities in Agwa Clan and Izombe in Oguta LGA of Imo State are heavily affected.
“We would not want the repeat of the Oyigbo saga in Rivers State where over five hundred Igbo Youths and Women were arrested, adopted and taken to a secret detention base in the North region of Nigeria where some of them have alleged to have died out of trauma and torture and till now many had not returned.
“We note that the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) Chapter Four (Fundamental Rights) gives citizens of Nigeria certain inalienable Rights which the Nigeria President and Imo State Governor has sworn to defend and protect”.
The Southeast socio-cultural group further called on well-meaning citizens of Imo State, the Igbo nation and concerned Nigerians to rise to condemn the ongoing extra-judiciary killings of Igbo youths and women by the men of the Nigerian Army.
Meanwhile, members of the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists group has released photographs of the Nigerian Army’s gun trucks and a Borno State Police Command patrol vehicle captured and stolen after an attack on Dikwa.
The photographs obtained by SaharaReporters showed that the Nigerian Army, despite claiming it repelled the attacks, lost three BTR Armoured Personnel Carriers, Panhard AML-60 and another Melara Mod 56 Pack Howitzer to the terrorists, Naija News report.