Soldiers and operatives of the official South-East security outfit, Ebubeagu, have reportedly gone on rampage in their bid to trace and rescue Lieutenant PP Johnson, the female officer abducted on Monday, December 26, 2022 while visiting her grandmother in Aku-Okigwe in Imo State.
Videos and eyewitness accounts indicate that the operation has intensified in the past two days.
Sharing videos of burning vehicles and houses, one source said this Saturday morning, December 31, 2022: “This happened yesterday in Aku Okigwe. The action was carried out by men of the Nigerian army and Ebube Agu. It is in connection with the female abducted army official.
“Heard that they were looting people’s homes and setting what was left behind ablaze.
“I know two of the victims personally.”
Another source said: “A lot of houses were also set ablaze in Ihube, a day before they raided Aku.”
The videos and testimonies emerged a day after the Nigerian Army broke its silence on the abduction of Lieutenant PP Johnson and dismissed reports (not by News Express) that she had been rescued. The Army authorities however assured that search for the officer is ongoing.
A statement by the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said:
“The attention of the Nigerian Army (NA) has been drawn to some publications circulating in the social media insinuating the rescue of Lieutenant PP Johnson, a female officer who was abducted on Monday 26 December 2022 while visiting her grandmother in Aku-Okigwe in Imo state, shortly after completion of her Cadet training and subsequent commissioning as a Lieutenant into the Nigerian Army.
“A video footage of her abduction had emerged in the social media where her abductors claimed her abduction was in line with their fight for Biafra against the Nigerian State.
“It is instructive that the officer’s circumstance as a woman and a Nigerian citizen of South Eastern extraction did not dissuade her abductors from dehumanizing her in their mindless attempt to commit atrocities under the guise of fighting for Biafra.
“This evidently is another pointer to the myriads of crimes being unleashed by IPOB/ ESN on Ndigbo, the very people they claim to be fighting for their emancipation.
“It should therefore be crystal clear to those who are still in doubt of the true status of these groups, that IPOB/ESN are terrorists, masquerading as freedom fighters and do not deserve the support of anyone particularly the good people of South East Nigeria.
“The NA wishes to state that the information making the rounds is unsubstantiated as the officer is yet to be released or rescued from her abductors. “Likewise, the video footage being circulated and associated with the rescue claim is an old video of the arrest of a suspect earlier effected by troops.
“Much as we appreciate the concern and goodwill of the general public for her safe rescue, we also wish to note that the information on the rescue of the officer did not emanate from the NA.
“The Nigerian Army will leave no stone unturned in its effort to rescue the officer and bring the perpetrators to book. We appeal to the general public to provide credible and reliable information that could lead to her safe rescue and arrest of the perpetrators.”
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