Army kicks as Enugu community accuses soldiers of ‘killing’ two residents

Residents of Eke community in Udi LGA of Enugu have accused officers of the Nigerian army of killing two residents.

The deceased are one Ebuka Oke, a volunteer member of the neighbourhood vigilante watch, and a woman.

The incident was said to have occurred on June 29.

Speaking on the incident, Emeka Anigbo, assistant chief security officer of Eke security neighbourhood vigilante watch, said the team got a distress call on Thursday night that armed robbers were operating at Ugwudinso axis.

Anigbo said the robbers were said to have blocked the major roads leading to the popular Catholic Church prayer centre, Ugwudinso and Eke from Ama Breweries.

“On receiving the distress call, we swiftly drove out with a view to confronting the criminal elements,” Anigbo was quoted as saying by NAN.

“But due to heavy traffic gridlock occasioned by the blockage of the roads, we could not get to the scene with our vehicle.”

He disclosed that the vigilante group decided to park their vehicle along the road and started walking towards the scene.

He added that while the group was approaching the scene, they met some soldiers who ordered them to stop.

He alleged that the soldiers started shooting at members of the vigilante group as they approached them.

“We obeyed the soldiers and identified ourselves as neighbourhood vigilante watch guards. The soldiers asked us to keep coming,” he said.

“On approaching, the soldiers started firing at us, killing one of us and a woman who was on a motorcycle with her husband going back to Eke community.

“Despite the fact that we were in our full security uniforms and had identified ourselves, the trigger-happy soldiers opened fire on us from very close range, killing Oke and the woman.

“After shooting at me, while I was on the ground, one of the soldiers still, notwithstanding seeing my identification card and my uniform, went ahead to shoot at me again on the shoulder,” Anigbo said.

Anigbo said that it was the arrival of police officers attached to the 9th Mile corner division that saved his life and those of other members of the vigilante group.

Some members of Eke community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, condemned the unprofessional conduct of the soldiers.

ARMY SPOKESPERSON RESPONDS

Responding to the allegations, Jonah Unuakhalu, the deputy director, army public relations, 82 division of the Nigerian army, said soldiers did not shoot at members of the vigilante group.

Unuakhalu said that the deceased was killed by a stray bullet from armed hoodlums who engaged the soldiers in a gun duel.

He said the troops received a distress call that some criminal elements were operating along the Eke road.

He added that the hoodlums opened fire on the soldiers when they arrived at the scene.

The spokesperson said he had no information regarding the alleged second deceased person.

“So, there is no iota of truth in the information being peddled around that it was soldiers that killed the deceased (female),” he said.

“Our men only rushed to the scene to salvage the situation, after receiving a distress call.

“The division is going to carry out proper investigation on the incident, so as to unravel what actually transpired.”