*Says it didn’t kill any of its members
The Six Division of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, has handed down a strong warning that it would no longer tolerate cheap blackmail by a group of people calling themselves Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which it says it made allegation that is unfounded against it.
In a statement by Deputy Director of Information of the division, Colonel Aminu Iliyasu, it was said that the attention of the division was drawn to what he called the baseless and unsubstantiated allegation against the Army by one Mr. Emma Powerful.
Mr. Powerful, the statement said, “claims to be the Media and Publicity Secretary of a criminal gang that goes by appellation “Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)” in which he claimed through the media that 11 of its members were killed by soldiers on 20th January 2017 in Port Harcourt while conducting a solidarity rally to commemorate the election of Mr. Donald Trump as President of the United States of America.”
The allegation, Colonel Iliyasu said was false, malicious and existed in the figment of author’s imagination and therefore warned Mr. Emma Powerful and other likeminded mischief makers that “the Nigerian Army will no longer tolerate such spurious and unfounded allegations that are injurious to the hard-earned image and reputation of the Nigerian Army, its selfless and dedicated officers and soldiers by any group of criminals regardless of their appellation.”
Denying that the allegation of killing of 11 members of the group on the said date by the Army, Colonel Iliyasu threw a light on Army’s role in the joint scenario saying that the Army adhered strictly to rules of engagement in spite of provocation from some IPOB members.
Thousands of youths believed to be IPOB supporters took to the street on Jan. 20 to commemorate the election of Donald Trump as 45th President of the United States of America.
Iliyasu said that troops from its 29 Battalion were only deployed to assist other security agencies to prevent possible breakdown of law and order during the rally.
“It would be recalled that on 20th January 2017, members of the group were mobilised from Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Imo and Cross River States for an alleged rally with dubious intent of molesting innocent citizens, intimidating passers-by and wrecking havoc on commuters thereby disturbing public peace, safety and security.
“The choice of Port Harcourt (the Garden City) as the epicentre of the protest has left much to be desired. It is however worthy to restate that one of the constitutional responsibilities of the Nigerian Army is to come to the aid of the civil authority whenever the need arises.
“In line with this constitutional mandate, troops of 29 Battalion Nigerian Army, were deployed in conjunction with other sister security agencies to prevent any loss of life or property with strict adherence to the established rules of engagement.
“Despite all provocative attempts occasioned by the stoning of security agents and the smashing of commuters’ windscreens by the violent protesters, troops refused to be cajoled into the criminal gang’s trap to fire a single shot. This is indicative of the troops’ total compliance with their Rules of Engagement. The violent protest was subsequently subdued with the use of tear gas and arrests were made by a sister security agency with no casualty recorded on either side.
“It is however worrisome and disturbing for anyone to falsely accuse troops deployed in support of civil authority who conducted their duty professionally under the beaming lenses of cameras of allegedly killing 11 citizens of our great country.
“A well observed trend of this criminal gang is the malicious posting of old videos and pictures from their archives on social media platforms which has no bearing on their claims to attract public sympathy and whip sentiments among the citizenry.
“To this end, Headquarters 6 Division Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, wishes to inform the public that the allegation is not true and should be dismissed as mere propaganda by the separatist group.
“We wish to restate our total commitment to the protection of lives and properties within the Division’s Area of Responsibility.
“We therefore solicit the cooperation and understanding of all peace loving citizens and further enjoin them to join hands to help eradicating all forms of criminality within Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Delta States. This will no doubt enhance mutual co-existence, peace and socio-economic development of the region,” Colonel Iliyasu said in the statement by the Six Division of the Nigerian Army.
