The people of Amasiri strongly reject the attempt by the Nigerian Army to rebrand violence, intimidation, and collective punishment as a “peacekeeping operation.”
While the Army claims its deployment was to protect innocent citizens, the lived reality in Amasiri tells a very different story. Since the arrival of troops, unarmed civilians have been brutalized, homes invaded, women harassed, and residents subjected to fear rather than protection. An operation that claims to restore peace cannot, at the same time, unleash terror on the very population it purports to defend.
The Army’s statement fails to address the most critical questions:
Who authorized the killing of civilians during this operation?
Why were women and non-combatants harassed and assaulted? Why were Senior Citizens humiliated and assaulted. Under what rule of engagement does peacekeeping include indiscriminate raids and intimidation of an entire community?
If the operation is truly intelligence-led and professional, then the Army must explain why innocent people—not identified suspects—bear the brunt of military action. Security operations are not licenses for collective punishment, nor do they permit the suspension of citizens’ constitutional rights.
Amasiri people are not criminals. We are Nigerians entitled to dignity, protection, and justice. Criminal elements, if any, should be isolated through lawful investigation—not used as an excuse to traumatize an entire community.
We also note with concern the recurring pattern in Nigeria where security agencies respond to communal crises with excessive force, only to later issue press statements that erase victims’ suffering and deny documented abuses. This approach deepens mistrust and fuels resentment rather than restoring peace.
We therefore demand:
An independent investigation into the conduct of troops deployed to Amasiri.
Accountability for all killings, assaults, and acts of harassment committed during the operation.
Immediate cessation of intimidation of civilians, especially women and children.
Engagement with genuine community leaders, not media narratives, to achieve lasting peace.
Peace cannot be achieved at gunpoint against innocent people. Justice cannot be served by terror. And national security cannot be built on the blood and humiliation of one community.
The people of Amasiri deserve truth, accountability, and respect—not propaganda.
Princess Joy Omagha Idam
Publisher
Weekenders Magazine Online
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