A Nigerian medical doctor, Rose Agwu, has decried the invasion and illegal arrest of her siblings – 15-year-old brother and sister by Nigerian soldiers.
Recall that on Thursday hoodlums allegedly enforcing sit-at-home order declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in commemoration of Biafra Heroes Day engaged soldiers deployed to Obikabia Junction in the Aba area of Abia state and killed five soldiers.
Reacting to the attack, the Nigerian military vowed to ruthlessly crush the members of the IPOB and its militant wing Eastern Security Network (ESN).
It also noted that it fiercely deal with members of the group.
Since the attack, there have been reports that Nigerian military has laid siege on Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia state, hounding and disappearing innocent residents in their hundreds.
However, Agwu, a medical personnel in one of the hospitals around the town, who resides near Obikabia Junction in the Aba area of the state, lamented that the soldiers broke into her home and took away her siblings at about 5am on Friday after sparing her 72-year-old father.
Agwu, who took to her X (formerly Twitter) handle to reveal this in a series of posts, demanded the whereabouts of her siblings.
She stated, “Around 5am in the morning, the Nigerian Army invaded my house, broke the gate and our door, and took my 15-year-old brother and my sister, who had just come home, away, leaving only my aged father.
“Till now, they have not been released. We are still trying to locate them. Please help us ask the Nigerian Army the logical reason behind this and how they can account for all the people they took and their plans for them.
“I don’t want to hear stories, please. This is how people go missing and get killed. Please release my siblings, they know nothing about the shooting or unknown gunmen, please.”
Lamenting the illegal and abuse of the innocent by the Nigerian military, she said the vow by the Defence Headquarters to fiercely crush them shouldn’t be targeted at the innocent.
According to her, her minor siblings are still custody in violation of their human rights without knowing where they are, even as she noted that June 1 was her sister’s birthday.
In the series of tweets, she appealed to Abia State Governor Alex Otti for intervention.
She wrote: “At exactly this time 5 am yesterday while I was at the hospital running my Accident and Emergency shift and saving lives, the Nigerian army broke into my home, forced my 72-year-old father to sit in an unhealthy position while they took away my 15-year-old brother and sister.
“Till now my siblings have not been returned home. My family has been in panic and living in fear. The doors and gates were broken, no arrest warrant was shown, no official statement as to why they took my minor sibling or sister. This is not how justice is served!
“Children are experiencing something traumatic even to a grown adult. How will my siblings recover from this assault and abuse of their human rights?
“Today, June 1, is my sister’s birthday and she’s in Army custody for a crime she knows nothing about. My sister is unproblematic. My family has no relation to the crisis going on in the country. We are law-abiding citizens and mind our business but here we are.
“It’s my sister’s birthday today! A very traumatic birthday indeed. She’s being held by the Nigerian army who, without intelligence information, moved around arresting innocent law-abiding citizens living around where the attack on soldiers happened,” she stated.
She added in her latest tweet, “It’s been 34hrs since my siblings were taken from our home without a warrant or any explanation,my 15year old brother is still in captivity, confused,scared and hungry. No child should ever experience this, this is a very traumatic experience @HQNigerianArmy release my siblings”
