SAHARA REPORTERS

Grace Abdu, a journalist with Voice Of America, was on Saturday assaulted and arrested by Nigerian soldiers for ‘interviewing residents of Oyigbo in Rivers State’.

SaharaReporters gathered that Abdu was illegally detained by the soldiers for several hours.

“She went there around 11, so around 12pm, the soldiers saw her and arrested her. They also seized her equipment. She was kept at the Army Post in Oyigbo for several hours before they released her this evening,” a source told SaharaReporters.

Recall that army operatives were deployed to Oyigbo amid the violence that broke out in the town after some alleged Biafran agitators clashed with security agents.

The soldiers have, however, been accused of extra-judicial killings and abuse of human rights.

The security agents are allegedly moving from house to house killing people.

Also Amnesty International said it received reports that soldiers were invading homes and that “some residents reported seeing dead bodies on the street,” allegedly shot by soldiers, but the army denied this allegation.

“Amnesty International is receiving disturbing information from Oyigbo, Rivers State.

“Despite the existing curfew, soldiers are allegedly invading homes. Some residents reported seeing dead bodies on the street, allegedly shot by soldiers.

“We are calling on the military authorities to exercise restraint and stop the killings,” the organization tweeted.