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The Nigerian Army has justified why it resorted to the Rule of Engagement (force) in containing members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as well as the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) during Monday protests, Premium Times reports.
It admitted that five pro-Biafran agitators were killed in the process while eight others were wounded. But, both MASSOB and IPOB yesterday stated that the military killed over 40 of their members.
The Army, in a statement by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations of the 82, Division in Enugu, Col. H. A. Gambo, said that the pro-Biafra agitators became violent and attacked security agents at a school location on Ataa Road near Saint Edmunds’ Catholic Parish, Maryland, Nkpor-Agu in Anambra State, during the protest. It said that as the lead agency of other security agencies, it was its constitutional mandate to act promptly, to contain what appeared like an insurrection.
The statement according to New Telegraph, said the unfortunate incident notwithstanding, “the 82 Division Nigerian Army wishes to assure all of its professional commitment to the protection of lives and property of the good people of Anambra State and indeed across its entire Area of Responsibility in tandem with the recent directive of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria through the Chief of Defence Staff to the Chief of Army Staff to avert occurrences of such unwarranted and uncivilized attacks against the good and law abiding people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
