Nigeria’s army chief, Tukur Buratai, has made a stunning, brand new justification of invasion the home of now missing IPOB Biafra-secessionist head, Nnamdi Kanu.
The army chief said soldiers pursued a truck loaded with weapons into the family home of Nnamdi Kanu, in Abia. He further stated that the members detonated the ammunition leading to the carnage.
In September, several people were said to have been injured and 26 killed after soldiers invaded Nnamdi Kanu’s home and since then Nnamdi Kanu and his parents have never been found or heard from leading to allegations that the Nigerian army either killed and secretly buried them or abducted them.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, counsel to the IPOB leader, filed a suit at the federal high court, Abuja, seeking an order to compel Buratai to produce Nnamdi Kanu. In the suit, IPOB claimed the army took Kanu away.
But in a counter-affidavit, the chief of army staff said Kanu has never been in the custody of army.
The army chief said a truck laden with weapons was “deliberately ignited” by IPOB members after soldiers tried to arrest its fleeing occupants.
“During a peaceful movement which was part of the Operation Python Dance II on September 14, some soldiers saw a truck and flagged it down, but the truck and its occupants ran over Army’s barricade and defied soldiers’ order stopping them to be searched,” Buratai said in the affidavit seen by The Nation.
“It was the legitimate attempt by the officers and men of the Nigerian Army to arrest the fleeing occupants of the truck and impound the truck that precipitated the deliberate igniting of the ammunition in the truck by persons now believed to be IPOB members.
“The act of the IPOB members resulted in sporadic explosions within the said applicant’s compound. The applicant (Kanu) is not and has [never been] in our custody nor in the custody of any person, officer or institution receiving instruction directly or indirectly from him.
“The applicant was not at any time whatsoever arrested, taken into custody or detained by the officers and men of the Nigerian army.
“The officers and men of the Nigerian army did not have any contact whatsoever or confrontation or any operational engagement with the applicant on September 12 or 14, 20l7 or any other date thereafter, contrary to the allegations in the affidavit in support of the application.
“The allegation of invasion of the south-eastern part of Nigeria by officers and men of the Nigerian army, especially the applicant’s home and or residence is totally false.” –theCable
This story was a surprising new twist. the Nigerian army had initially claimed that only one weapon was discovered in the premises and never before mentioned a pursuit into the compound. Video from the attack also proves a different story.
The desk officer in charge of Python Dance in Abia State, has had stated that troops raided the family residence of Nnamdi Kanu on the Sunday .
“We were there in search of weapons, no household items were removed from Kanu’s home.
“The things removed, may be technical items, somebody was also arrested with a weapon in the compound”, he said. – Source
