WATCH: 5 Times The Nigerian Army Has Been Accused Of Massacre
Wednesday October 22, 2020, marks the 19th anniversary of the Zaki-Biam massacre in Benue state. On that day in 2001, soldiers invaded villages in Logo and and Zaki-Biam LGAs of Benue State killing over 100 villagers, according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW).
While the wounds are yet to heal after 19 years, the world watched live on Instagram as soldiers, once again, opened fire on End SARS protesters at Lekki toll gate on Tuesday October 20, 2020. The attack marks the latest in a series of times the Nigerian Army has been accused of opening fire on innocent citizens.
Here are 5 times the Soldiers have been accused of killings since 1999:
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Odi Massacre – 1999
November 20 1999: Soldiers invaded Odi in Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA of Bayelsa State over the killing of 12 policemen.
The Environmental Rights Action (ERA) said 2,500 people were killed while FG claimed 43.
In Feb. 2013, Federal High Court in Port Harcourt ordered the FG to pay N37.6bn compensation to the people of Odi. The govt. paid N15bn.
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Zaki-Biam Massacre – 2001
October 22, 2001: Soldiers invaded several villages in Logo and Zaki-Biam Local government areas of Benue State over the killing of 19 soldiers in Zaki-Biam.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said more than 100 civilians were killed during the invasion.
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Zaria Massacre – 2015
December 12 to 14, 2015: Soldiers killed and quickly buried the bodies of at least 300 Shia Muslims in Zaria, Kaduna state, HRW said.
The army accused the Shia members of an attempt to assassinate COAS, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.
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Shiites Protest in Abuja – 2018
October 27 and 29, 2018: NY Times investigation revealed that dozens of Shia Muslims were shot by Soldiers in Abuja.
The Shia members were protesting against the imprisonment of their leader.
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Lekki Shooting – 20-10-2020
October 20, 2020: Soldiers opened fire on young Nigerians protesting against SARS at Lekki toll gate, Lagos.
The Nigerian Army has tagged the report as fake news.
Watch:
