Following the attack on soldiers in Abia State and the Nigerian Army’s vow to deal decisively with the perpetrators, a medical professional, one Rose Agwu, has alleged that soldiers have detained her 15-year-old brother and sister without presenting an arrest warrant or providing any explanation.
Agwu, in a series of tweets on her official X handle on Friday, which have since gone viral, called for help from the state government, the Nigerian army, and well-meaning Nigerians for the release of her siblings.
Agwu, who lives near Obikabia Junction in the Aba area of Abia state, claims soldiers broke into her home around 5 a.m. on Friday while she was away, subjected her 72-year-old father to an “unhealthy position,” and allegedly abducted her siblings.
She claimed that army personnel reportedly damaged the property during the raid, breaking doors and gates and that there was no arrest warrant or official statement to justify the raid or the detention of her “minor siblings.”
As of the time of writing this report, Agwu said her siblings had not returned home, leaving her family in a state of panic and fear.
“At exactly this time 5am 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,” Agwu tweeted.
“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, and no official statement as to why they took my minor siblings. This is not how justice is served!”
In another tweet, she expressed concern over the psychological impact this incident might have on her siblings, stating, “Children are experiencing something traumatic, even for a grown adult. How will my siblings recover from this assault and abuse on their human rights?”
Agwu noted that her kid brother has never slept outside the protection of their home and that today, June 1, is also her sister’s birthday. She added that it has been 23 hours and 30 minutes since her brother was snatched from his bed and taken away by the Nigerian Army.
She pleaded for the safe and sound return of her siblings, noting that they had done nothing to deserve this trauma, and called on Abia State Governor Alex Otti to come to her family’s rescue and save her siblings.
In a series of tweets, she stated, “It’s almost 12pm and there’s still no word on why my siblings were taken from our home this morning. @HQNigerianArmy, where did you take them to? What do you hope to achieve? So my 15-year-old brother shouldn’t go to school or eat today! Use your intelligence unit for once!
“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.
“It’s been 34 hours since my siblings were taken from our home without a warrant or any explanation. My 15-year-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.”
The detention of Agwu’s siblings appears to be part of the military operation in response to recent attacks on soldiers.
The Guardian reported that at least four soldiers were killed on Thursday morning when they were attacked by gunmen in Aba, Abia State.
It was gathered that the hoodlums, numbering about 15, attacked the soldiers at about 8:00 a.m. at a military checkpoint in Obikabia Junction in the commercial city.
The gunmen were said to be enforcing a sit-at-home order declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) across the Southeast to mark Biafra Day, which is celebrated yearly in the region.
Video clips showing the masked gunmen during the attack have been circulating on Facebook and other social media platforms. In one of the clips, some armed men dressed in black attire were seen firing sporadic gunshots around the junction.
A military patrol truck was parked in the area. Some fear-stricken residents were seen in another clip scampering for safety around the area. The clip showed the gunmen razing the military patrol truck, apparently used by the soldiers.
Shortly after the attack, an armed soldier was seen surveying the area to ascertain if the hoodlums had left.
“This army man is the only surviving person here. He was the only person that ran away,” a male voice was heard speaking in the background in the video.
Even though the state government has placed an N25 million bounty on the killers of five soldiers, the military has reportedly vowed to retaliate for the killing of the soldiers.
However, Agwu noted that her family has no connection to any of the criminal activities currently going on in the country, saying, “My sister is unproblematic, my family has no relations with the crisis going on in the country. We are law-abiding citizens and mind our business, but here we are.”
