Does the Military Have Anything to Do With Youth Death in Anambra? Top Colonel Speaks
- Youths of the Lilu community, Ihiala LGA of Anambra, accused soldiers of masterminding killings in the area
- In a video on social media, youths accused soldiers of killing a man and dumping his body in the bush
- But army authorities and the leadership of the community described the allegation as false
The Commander of 302 Artillery Regiment in Onitsha, Colonel Bitrus Madaki Yakubu, has denied that his soldiers were involved in the alleged killings in Lilu, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra state. The denial comes after a viral video showed youths claiming that soldiers tortured residents and killed a young man, leaving his body in the bush.
The youths, who spoke in Igbo language, said that they were four going to farm when three soldiers accosted them, asked them questions, and suddenly started torturing them, and finally shot one of them, and dumped his body there.
Source: Getty Images
The video, which went viral recently, generated untold tension in the area, forcing many residents to desert the community over the rising violent killings in the area.
But in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng correspondent on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, Col Yakubu denied the allegation, describing it as an attempt to tarnish the good reputation of the military.
He said, "The military has nothing to do with killings in Lilu. Those that showed the video of the victim dumped in the bush should have also showed the video of the soldiers that shot him, since they were claiming that he was killed by soldiers.
"If he was killed by the military, it would have been over a serious offence, and we would have showcased it as our achievement, as we do with IPOB and ESN members who terrorise southeast communities, because we don't hide our faces when we do our work."
Lilu leader says soldiers not proven killers
Also, when Legit.ng contacted the President General of Lilu Development Union (LDU), Akabekwa Ekene Elias, for clarification on the matter, he said that his community cannot prove that the victim was shot by soldiers as claimed by youths in the viral video.
He said, "We're not sure the killers were soldiers. Forget what the youths were claiming."
Source: UGC
"What really happened was that the victim was arrested by our community vigilante operatives over an allegation that he was the person moulding and fabricating guns for the unknown gunmen (UGM) in the area."
"When his arrest was brought to my attention, I directed them to release him, because, nobody was able to prove that he was the person fabricating guns for the bad people. So, he was released. Soon after, I got a call that his body was found in a nearby bush. But we're making frantic efforts to know the cause of his death."
"The people who arrested him were our community vigilantes. But it is also important to say that we have a joint security task force in our community comprising our local vigilantes, police, and soldiers, because of insecurity in our area. But the vigilantes do more of the community work in our area. Nobody can claim rightfully that they were shot by the military."
He urged the community members to remain calm as the leadership is making efforts to unravel the cause of the death.
Naval officer allegedly beats Anglican Priest at checkpoint
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Anglican Bishop of Ogbaru has called on the Chief of Naval Staff to investigate an alleged assault on Reverend Tochukwu Agina by a naval officer at a checkpoint in Okpotouno, Ogbaru LGA, Anambra state.
The clergyman was reportedly brutalised over a false accusation that he was using a phone at the naval checkpoint on November 30, prompting criticism of the officer’s conduct as an abuse of authority.
The bishop condemned the incident as a violation of human rights and naval ethics, urging accountability and justice to restore confidence in the military and protect citizens.
Source: Legit.ng
