A medical doctor, Rose Agwu, has raised alarm after soldiers invaded her home in Abia State, arresting her 15-year-old brother and sister.
According The Punch, Agwu, who lives near Obikabia Junction in Aba, reported that the soldiers broke into her home at about 5 am on Friday, taking her siblings and leaving only her 72-year-old father.
In a series of posts on her X handle, Agwu narrated the disturbing incident, revealing that her siblings were taken without explanation or information on their whereabouts.
She stated, “Around 5 am in the morning, the Nigerian Army invaded my house, broke the gate and our door, and took my 15-year-old brother and my sister, who had just come home, away, leaving only my aged father.”
Expressing her distress, she continued, “Till now, they have not been released. We are still trying to locate them. Please help us ask the Nigerian Army the logical reason behind this and how they can account for all the people they took and their plans for them. I don’t want to hear stories, please. This is how people go missing and get killed. Please release my siblings, they know nothing about the shooting or unknown gunmen, please.”
This incident follows the killing of five soldiers at an Army checkpoint in the Aba area on Thursday, which prompted a strong response from the military, vowing the perpetrators would not escape justice.
Reflecting on the continued detention of her siblings, Agwu lamented, “At exactly this time 5 am 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.”
“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, no official statement as to why they took my minor sibling or sister. This is not how justice is served! Children are experiencing something traumatic even to a grown adult. How will my siblings recover from this assault and abuse of their human rights?”
Highlighting the emotional toll, she added, “Today, June 1, is my sister’s birthday and she’s in Army custody for a crime she knows nothing about. My sister is unproblematic. My family has no relation to the crisis going on in the country. We are law-abiding citizens and mind our business but here we are.”
Agwu called on state governor Alex Otti to intervene and rescue her siblings, emphasizing the injustice and trauma inflicted on her family. She added, “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.”
The incident has sparked public outrage, with many residents near Obikabia Junction sharing similar experiences of soldiers allegedly raiding their homes and arresting young people. One user, CleverNation, tweeted about a friend who was taken away by soldiers from a hotel room, and another, Samuel Ajayi, condemned the arrests as lawlessness, stressing the need for proper investigation and intelligence gathering.
Ajayi wrote, “You see, this is my problem with how the Nigerian Army works. Terrorists and criminals attacked your men, and you go around without intelligence detaining innocent citizens. The real terrorists are still moving freely and can wreak havoc again. Families of innocent people will grieve while terrorists strike again. The cycle continues. Lawlessness.”
Another user, Ike God, called for immediate action from the state governor, stating, “I call on Alex Otti to interface with the @HQNigerianArmy Chief, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, to facilitate the immediate and unconditional release of all innocent and hapless Abia teenagers and youths abducted by rogue elements within the Nigerian Army on a reprisal attack.”
“The investigation to fish out and prosecute the daredevil UGM or MOU who attacked the Army checkpoint in Obikabia Junction, Obingwa, Aba, is a matter for the IGP Kayode Egbetokun-led @PoliceNG. The Nigerian Army must quit flexing muscles with armless and harmless Nigerian citizens and go after real terrorists wreaking havoc across Nigeria. Dear HE @alexottiofr, kindly look into the abduction of hapless Abia teenagers, raised by #RoseAgwu254246.”
