US-based newspaper New York Times has said it has obtained a new video showing soldiers killing unarmed Shiites protesting the prolonged detention of their leader Ibrahim El Zakzaky.
The Nigerian Army had admitted killing six members of the group along the Abuja-Zuba Expressway between October 27 and October 29, 2018.
The army had said the Shiites were armed with stones and petrol bombs and were attacking troops who were escorting ammunition from Abuja to Kaduna.
However, New York Times said that the video disproves the army’s claims.
“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 in the country,” the report reads.
The newspaper said some of the corpses had bullet wounds at the back, indicating that they were shot while fleeing.
“An
Army spokesperson John Agim said soldiers had abused no one during the recent marches, adding that he had not seen the video but was certain that whatever existed had been manipulated to make Nigerian soldiers look bad.
