International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a human rights organisation says it has confirmed the killing of over 50 in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State during a military invasion of the area.
The group said over 80 others were injured during the crisis.
Governor Nyesom Wike had after the imposition of 24 hours curfew on the area, asked security agencies to fish out members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB over arson and alleged killing of security agencies.
Chairman of Intersociety, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi in a statement accused Governor Nyesom Wike of aiding the military to kill residents of Oyigbo between 21st October and 4th November, 2020.
He alleged the killings were so glaring that the corpses of the slain littered the bushes and the roadsides, with some buried in shallow graves or left to decompose and others picked up by their relatives.
According to him, “In Obigbo and environs in Rivers State, we can temporarily confirm the killing of at least 50 unarmed citizens and injuring of not less than 80 others. We can also confirm eleven deaths so far out of which, eight have their names identified and three yet to be named.
“Their names are: Pastor Igwe (slain husband of Mrs. Amara Igwe), Queen Nwazuo (slain fiancée of Mr. Monday Bakor), Okoro Peter and Chinwendu O; they were shot at close range and killed instantly by soldiers on 24th October 2020 few meters away from Governor Wike’s convoy.
“The Governor was visiting Obigbo to assess his military deployment and curfew same day and the two young residents barely emerged from their houses to hear what their Governor has come to tell them when soldiers sighted them and opened fire, killing them instantly.
“They were shot on their forehead, forcing the brain-box of late Chinwendu to burst and emptied at the center of the road. Other dead citizens were: Jude Egejuru (died from gunshot injuries), Clifford Nkemdilim, Miss Ngozi Ozuo, Udeme Ossy Monday, a yet-to-be identified dead citizen, second yet-to-be-identified citizen and third yet-to-be-identified dead citizen. It must be noted that soldiers took away bodies of most of those killed.
