The Nigerian Army says efforts are still on-going to rescue the newly-commissioned female officer, Lt. PP Johnson, abducted in Imo allegedly by the banned Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, (IPOB).
Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, who stated this yesterday in Abuja, said that the female officer was abducted on Dec. 26 while visiting her grandmother in Aku-Okigwe in Imo.
That was shortly after the completion of her cadet training and subsequent commissioning as a lieutenant into the Nigerian Army, he added.
Nwachukwu stated that the video footage of her abduction had emerged on social media where her abductors claimed her abduction was in line with their fight for Biafra against the Nigerian state.
The officer’s circumstance, as a woman and a Nigerian citizen of South-eastern extraction, did not dissuade her abductors from dehumanising her in their mindless attempt to commit atrocities under the guise of fighting for Biafra, he added.
“This, evidently, is another pointer to the myriad of crimes being unleashed by IPOB/ESN on Ndigbo, the very people they claim to be fighting for their emancipation. It should therefore be crystal clear to those who are still in doubt of the true status of these groups, that IPOB and ESN are terrorists. They are masquerading as freedom fighters and do not deserve the support of anyone, particularly the good people of South-East Nigeria.
“The Nigerian Army states that the information making the rounds that Lt. Johnson had been released or rescued from her abductors is unsubstantiated, as the officer is yet to be released or rescued”, he stated.
Nwachukwu stressed that the video footage being circulated and associated with the rescue claim was an old video of the arrest of a suspect by troops.
“Much as we appreciate the concern and goodwill of the general public for her safe rescue, we also wish to note that the information on the rescue of the officer did not emanate from the Nigerian Army.
“The Nigerian Army will leave no stone unturned in its effort to rescue the officer and bring the perpetrators to book”, Nwachukwu stated.
