EnuguEndSARS stray bullet saga: No governor orders the military – Army officer

*We were mobilized to protect school girls from hoodlums, criminals

*Miscreants killed, burnt policemen, stations, others

One of the soldiers mobilized by the military to protect the innocent female students at Queens School Enugu, last Saturday, following a security report that armed hoodlums and criminals parading themselves as #EnuguSARS protesters wanted to invade the school in search of COVID-19 palliatives, has opened up on what transpired, contrary to the stories being peddled on the social media, IGBERE TV reports.

The soldier who spoke to our correspondent in confidence disclosed that there was no directive from anybody, as being mischievously peddled on social media, to shoot or kill the hoodlums and criminals who in their numbers, some with weapons, attempted to overpower the security agencies and forcefully invade the school, where the young girls are staying.

The military officer stated categorically that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi did not give them any directive, explaining that “what happened was a case of stray bullet which the hoodlums themselves have questions to answer “because they had dangerous weapons like guns as they were forcefully approaching us to overpower us and go into that school where these girls we were ask to protect were”.

It would be recalled that the principal of Queens School Enugu, Mrs. Ada Nweke, had in a video, sent SOS to the security agencies to come to the rescue of the traumatized girls following the forceful attempt by the hoodlums and criminals to invade the school.

Mrs. Nweke who stated that there were no COVID-19 palliatives still in the school as they had been distributed to the 17 Local Government Areas in August, stressed that “we don’t want what happened to the Chibok girls to happen to these students”.

Prior to the alarm raised by the principal, it was widely reported that the hoodlums and criminals’ aim was to invade the school, in the disguise of #EndSARS protest looking for palliatives, and then rape and kidnap the female students similarly to what happened to the Chibok girls.

When asked who then directed them to mobilize to the school, the officer said: “This question has a straight answer. The world knows where we take directives from. The military just like other security agencies are exclusively under the control of the federal government and we take instructions from our heads.

“So I don’t know what you mean whether it was the governor that directed us or not. We know who directs us, and even you here asking me this kind of question know too. No governor directs the military or its officers. Please take this message home and stop asking such questions”.

On the 24-hour curfew imposed, the soldier pointed out that “it was unfortunate that these people refused to stay at home and obey the curfew imposed by the state government. They saw us pleading with them to go home but they kept forcing their way to overpower us.

“Are you not aware that these miscreants killed two policemen in this state and burnt one in the process of this protest? They burnt police stations, looted and destroyed a lot of properties belonging to innocent people.

“What have you said about it? Did you report it? Did you see it circulated anywhere on social media by those peddling these lies against the governor and security agencies. Or are security personnel not human beings like you?

“So if a security man is killed by hoodlums it is not news worthy to be spread on this una social media?

“Please go and advise these youths to stop exposing themselves to dangers because as I am talking to you here, a directive has come from the Presidency again that both the military and police should mobilize across the country to stop these lootings, killings and destruction of public and private property.

“Go and warn them before they start accusing the state governors or other persons”.