The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has expressed sadness over what it described as “indiscriminate massacring of defenseless civilians of Christian Faith” by the Nigerian Army.

The rights group reacted on Saturday through a statement jointly signed by its Principal Officers: Emeka Umeagbalasi, Obianuju Igboeli, Esq and Chidimma Evan Udegbunam, Esq on Saturday.

Intersociety, which described the killing of defenseless civilians of Christian faith by the Nigerian Army as a violation of religious freedom, claimed that in the past ten months surveyed, or from July 2020 to first week of April 2021, more than 350 defenseless Christian civilians have been massacred by the Army in its peacetime internal security operations.

It also alleged the Nigerian Army of massacring the defenseless victims on the grounds of their religion and ethnicity in revenge for loss of their colleagues.

The rights group further alleged the Nigerian Army of deriving joy in turning its weapons of death against defenseless Christian civilians at slightest or no provocation but rescinding and looking blindly when attacked by Muslims in Muslim areas.

Intersociety in its accusations of religious and ethnicity prejudice said 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 adding that 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 rights group reminded that 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 it was contrary in the recent case in Akwa Ibom and Benue States. 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 Traditional Ruler of Agidi (Tyoor Unaha Koko) razed.

The rights group noted that the Benue Army massacre fully bears color of religious and ethnic profiling.

It also observed that the key Army Commanders In nine checked Christian held states are all Muslims while noting that it effectuate the domination and control of key Army commands in the areas by senior officers of Fulani-Hausa Muslim extraction.

Conversely, according to Intersociety, “Christian Army commanders in Muslim held Northern part of the country are minutely insignificant in number and where they are posted, they tightly work under what appears to be “caliphate instructions”.

It alleged that the takeover and control of key Army formations in Christian held part of the country by 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; thereby putting them not only in danger but also exposing them to attacks by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen, jihadist Fulani “Bandits” and others.

Read full statement below:

Religious Profiling: Nigerian Army Killed 350 Christian Civilians In 10 Months And In Peacetime

…killing soldiers in Muslim areas is ‘no offense’ but in Christian areas, it is genocidal reprisal against defenseless civilians

Massacring On The Ground Of Religion

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) is deeply pained and saddened by indiscriminate massacring of defenseless civilians of Christian Faith by Nigerian Army. This, the Army now does with reckless abandon and uttermost impunity; to the extent 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). 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. That is to say 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”.

To Army, It Is A ‘Taboo’ For Soldiers To Die But Customary To Massacre Civilians: 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. In Nigeria of today, too, it is no longer: “it is better to lose five security personnel to save an endangered innocent soul than to save the security personnel and allow defenseless soul to be killed”. 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.

Religious Profiling And Hate Soldiering Are On Rampage: As part of its hate soldiering and religious profiling, 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 totl 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.

But contrary was recently the case in Akwa Ibom and Benue States. 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.

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.

Key Army Commanders In Nine Checked Christian Held States Are All Muslims

Intersociety 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. On the hand, it is also our finding 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”. 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; thereby putting them not only in danger but also exposing them to attacks by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen, jihadist Fulani “Bandits” and others.

Names Of The Muslim Army Commanders: In the nine Christian held States of Benue, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Imo, Rivers, Abia, Rivers and Akwa Ibom, it was found 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.

How 350 Christian Civilians Were Massacred By Army In 10 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.

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