The Chief of Army Staff,
Nigerian Army Headquarters,
Abuja.
Sir,
This is an urgent and distress call from Amasiri community in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
As if the sweeping clampdown and collective sanctions imposed by the Ebonyi State Governor Rt Hon Francis Nwifuru were not enough, reports emerging this very night confirm that soldiers of the Nigerian Army have killed multiple persons in Amasiri community.
Innocent civilians are reportedly being shot, turning a civil dispute into a full-blown humanitarian and constitutional crisis.
Sir, the Nigerian Army is constitutionally mandated to protect lives, not to extinguish them. The continued killing of unarmed civilians under the guise of restoring peace is unacceptable, unlawful, and dangerously erodes public trust in the military as a national institution.
Amasiri people are now being punished on three fronts: Politically, through collective sanctions and sackings. Socially, through public stigmatization and scapegoating
Militarily, through lethal force against civilians
This trajectory is alarming.
We therefore urgently call on the Chief of Army Staff to:
Immediately call his men in Amasiri to order
Halt all operations that endanger civilian lives
Identify and withdraw troops engaging in excessive and unlawful use of force
Order an independent inquiry into the killings reported tonight.
Sir, the Nigerian Army must not be drawn into local disputes in a manner that paints it as an occupying force rather than a peacekeeping institution. Every life lost deepens anger, radicalizes communities, and pushes the crisis closer to a point of no return.
Amasiri is not at war with Nigeria. Amasiri deserves protection, not extermination. The World is watching, Ebonyi is watching and God is watching. We urge you to act now, before more innocent blood is shed.
Signed,
Princess (Dr) Joy Idam
Concerned Citizens of Amasiri Community
Ebonyi State
09024563804