A South East based human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, has charged the Enugu State government to help rebuild homes of innocent indigenes of Ime-Ezi community whose homes were burnt by military officials.
Report from the state had revealed that operatives of the Nigeria Army who were on a mission to dislodge a camp of Biafra agitators in the area had burnt down some houses, after they were ambushed by the gunmen.
In a press statement by the chairman Board of Trustees of the group, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, the group said there was need to rebuild the homes burnt, to avoid innocent people bearing the brunt of actions of armed non state actors.
The group which said it sent a fact finding team of six men to the community and found that the attack by the military operatives was to dislodge camps of criminals, but innocent civilians had their homes burnt down, asked the government to pressure the military to stop false criminal labelling of communities as a result of activities of IPOB members.
Part of the statement read: “Government of Enugu is called upon to liaise with the innocent families of the burnt or destroyed houses and other valuable properties for purposes of auditing and rebuilding or replacing them.
“In addition, adequate compensations and prevention of further occurrences should be made, failure of which will likely leave the affected families, friends and well-wishers with no other option than to sue the Army’s 82 Division and Government of Enugu State for damages incurred.
“Payment of adequate compensations and tendering of unreserved public apologies is important. Government of Enugu State is also called upon to take concrete steps at ensuring that security agencies particularly personnel of the Nigerian Army deployed to the State or any part thereof, respect and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of members of the affected or victim communities in the line of their operations.
“The group also called on 82 Division of the Nigerian Army must de-criminalize its operations in the South-East and desist from “IPOB/ESN-phobia”. Such de-criminalization must include putting an end to hate and discriminatory soldiering and law enforcements and operations.”
The group also called on the leadership 82 Division of the Nigerian Army in Enugu and the Enugu State Police Command to unconditionally release alive and in good health conditions some of the people arrested during the operation.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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