Nigerians react as soldiers allegedly kill youths at Oyigbo in Rivers

Many Nigerians on social media have been asking questions regarding the bloodshed in Rivers, where soldiers are reportedly on rampage in the Oyigbo community.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2020, the state governor, Nyesom Wike, declared a 24-hour curfew in the Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state.

The governor, in a broadcast, said the curfew was imposed on the area and a few other places in the state after the #EndSARS protest in Rivers was hijacked by hoodlums to unleash carnage.

However, since the curfew was declared, Oyigbo has remained a troubled community as violence has gone on non-stop.

For days, videos and photos of young people allegedly killed by soldiers in Oyigbo have found their way to social media.

Many have called the killings in Rivers a massacre, while others termed it genocide due to the increase in the number of graphic photos and videos showing bloodshed in the state.

IPOB members vs Soldiers

However, there have been claims that the crisis in Rivers is largely between men of the Nigerian Army and members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

IPOB members in the state were said to have played a role in the violence that engulfed the state during the recent #EndSARS demonstrations, as they allegedly killed soldiers, police officers and burnt police stations.

On Friday, October 30, 2020, Governor Wike accused IPOB members of killing six soldiers and four police officers during the #EndSARS protest in the state.

The governor said the protest against police brutality was peaceful until IPOB members took the laws into their own hands.

He said, “I don’t support criminality. IPOB killed six army officers, four policemen, burnt police stations and court buildings.”

The governor argued that those who do not understand his actions are accusing him of fighting the Igbo tribe in his state.

Nigerians react to the killings at Oyigbo

While the state government and the Nigerian Army accused of killing the youths in Rivers State have yet to issue statements on the crisis, Nigerians have taken to Twitter to ask questions, while condemning the killings.

Here are reactions to the crisis, with many posing the question: 'what's happening in Oyigbo'?