The Nigerian Army has dismissed allegations of mass killings by soldiers in southeast Nigeria as “falsehoods aimed at stirring negative sentiments against troops and inciting anarchy in the region.”
Army spokesperson, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, addressed these claims in a statement on Wednesday, June 5.
Simon Ekpa, a self-proclaimed leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), had alleged in a viral video that Nigerian Army troops carried out mass killings of innocent Igbos in Oliver and disposed of their bodies in the river.
Gen. Nwachukwu refuted these allegations, stating that a thorough examination of the video disproved Ekpa’s claims.
He clarified: “Firstly, the troops in the video are not Nigerian Army personnel. The insignia on their berets identifies them as members of the Nigerian Navy, who were conducting a routine test firing of a vehicle-mounted weapon system. To ensure the safety of other road users and commuters, the troops temporarily halted vehicular movement until the test firing was safely completed. Observers were kept at a safe distance, maintaining transparency and prioritizing safety.
“Secondly, initial findings indicate that the event occurred in the Southwest region of the country, not the Southeast, as incorrectly portrayed by the propagandists.
“Furthermore, there is no evidence supporting the claim that individuals were shot at in the river, nor have local communities reported discovering any corpses in the area.”
The army spokesperson urged the public to disregard the “unfounded claims and irredeemable falsehoods propagated by Simon Ekpa and his associates, whose apparent objective is to spread misinformation and incite unrest.”
Gen. Nwachukwu commended the “courage and patriotism of well-meaning and law-abiding Ndigbo” living in the southeast and across Nigeria, who, despite the threats and atrocities by Ekpa and his group, continue to foster peace and harmony and promote the national ideal of a united Nigeria. He affirmed that the Nigerian Army remains a “pillar of stability and security, committed to the well-being of the nation and its people.”