Lieutenant PP Johnson, a female soldier abducted by gunmen on Monday, was not released by her captors, the Nigerian Army said on Friday.
Johnson, a newly commissioned female Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army (NA), was abducted while visiting her grandmother in the Imo State town of Aku-Okigwe.
In a viral video, one of the gunmen was heard threatening all serving members of the armed forces.
Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, denied reports that the female soldier had been rescued by security personnel.
“The NA wishes to state that the information making the rounds is unsubstantiated as the officer is yet to be released or rescued from her abductors. Likewise, the video footage being circulated and associated with the rescue claim is an old video of the arrest of a suspect earlier effected by troops,” Nwachukwu said.
Despite coming from the country’s south-east, her kidnappers still dehumanized the officer, according to the army spokesman.
He also chastised them for claiming to be freedom fighters, labeling members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as terrorists.
“This evidently is another pointer to the myriads of crimes being unleashed by IPOB/ESN on Ndigbo, the very people (who) claim to be fighting for their emancipation. It should therefore be crystal clear to those who are still in doubt of the true status of these groups, that IPOB/ESN are terrorists, masquerading as freedom fighters and do not deserve the support of anyone, particularly the good people of South-East Nigeria.
“Much as we appreciate the concern and goodwill of the general public for her safe rescue, we also wish to note that the information on the rescue of the officer did not emanate from the NA,” he added.
The “Nigerian Army will leave no stone unturned in its effort to rescue the officer and bring the perpetrators to book,” Nwachukwu said.
The army spokesman urged the public to provide credible and reliable information that could lead to her safe rescue and the arrest of those responsible.
