New York Times says it has obtained a video showing Nigerian soldiers killing unarmed Shiites protesting against the detention of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El Zakzaky.
This comes after the Nigerian Army claimed six members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria were killed along the Abuja-Zuba Expressway between October 27 and 29, 2018.
The army claimed that the protesters who were armed with stones and petrol bombs attacked soldiers.
However, a report by the New York Times has contradicted the army, saying a video it had obtained had shown that the soldiers shot at civilians who were fleeing the scene.
The report reads, “
But a close review of video from the largest and most deadly of the protests, as well as interviews with more than a dozen witnesses, clearly shows the military opening fire on unarmed demonstrators, sometimes shooting indiscriminately into the crowd at close range as people turned and tried to flee.
“Photos and videos recorded that day show at least 26 bodies. The group said it had collected a total of 49 bodies during four days of protests.
“The killings are the latest example of a military that for years has been accused of human rights abuses, with rarely any punishment or action taken, despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s promises to crack down on military violations and restore security to the country.”
It added, “
Many of the injured were shot in the back or legs.”
But the Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig Gen John Agim, who said he had yet to watch the video, denied that soldiers were involved in human rights abuses during the recent protests in the country.
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
