Soldiers broke into my house and took away my brother and sister, an Abia doctor

Rose Agwu, a Nigerian physician, has appealed for assistance when troops raided her Abia State house and took her 15-year-old sister and brother into custody.

Agwu, who lives in the state’s Aba region close to Obikabia Junction, claimed that at around five in the morning on Friday, the military broke into her house and abducted her siblings, leaving her father, 72, unharmed.

On Friday morning, she made her revelation through a series of posts on her X handle.

Agwu claims that her brothers’ whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding their detention were withheld from her when they were removed.

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.

“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 happened after five soldiers were slain on Thursday at an Army checkpoint in the state’s Aba region.

The Nigerian military promised after the attack that the assassins would not escape punishment.

After a day, Agwu bemoaned the fact that her siblings remained in detention while pointing out that June 1 was her sister’s birthday.

She emphasized that her siblings’ wrongful detention violated their rights.

She wrote, “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?

“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.”

She pleaded with Alex Otti, the state governor, to spare her siblings and her family.

“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,” she stated.

Similar to Agwu, a large number of people living close to Obikabia Junction in the Aba region have reported suspicious activity online, claiming that soldiers attacked their homes and abducted youth.

CleverNation, a Twitter user going by the handle #clevernation23, asserted that his companion was kidnapped by troops who broke into his hotel room.

“They took my friend who came to Aba to buy goods on Monday but had to lodge in a hotel,” #clevernation23 wrote. Every guest was taken out of the hotel by the military once they broke in.

Nigerians have expressed their displeasure at this action, condemning the invasion of houses and the detention of innocent people.

On X.com, a tweep, Samuel Ajayi, who tweets as #Samdgreat01, condemned the arrests as lawlessness.

Samdgreat01 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.

“Terrorists attacked you and went their way. You went around picking up people in the area indiscriminately, even as young as 15, to an unknown location. You’ll torture them, perhaps kill some; you’ve done it before. Real terrorists are still intact in their location. Conduct a proper investigation and gather intelligence to go after them. You’re not so different from the terrorists.”

Another tweep, Ike God, tweeting as #Ikegod, called for a proper investigation to bring the real perpetrators to justice instead of unlawfully arresting innocent citizens.

He wrote, “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.”