Eyewitness: Nigerian army reprisals

President Obasanjo has ordered all hostilities to cease

By the BBC's Dan Isaacs in Zaki Biam, Nigeria

Zaki Biam is a town of about 20,000 people, a town where on Monday and again on Tuesday, the army came in shooting.

They have destroyed every single building visible. Everything is burnt out - walls are still standing but everywhere has been gutted.

There is nothing in this town now to save. Everything has been destroyed

They came in and shelled buildings. They shot buildings with rocket propelled grenades - there are bullet holes all around.

The town is completely destroyed. There are structures just about left standing, with cooking pots scattered everywhere, with cars burnt out in all directions.

As I look around me there are dead bodies on the streets. I can see five from where I am standing, but people are talking about many, many more.

This is a place where two weeks ago 19 soldiers were abducted by local militia and it is very apparent that soldiers here have been taking reprisal action for this event.

Now President Obasanjo has ordered a cessation of all hostilities in the area.

There are no soldiers in this town at present as they have all moved to the town of Katsina Ala, maybe half-an-hour's drive from here, and the people are terrified that the same thing will happen there.

Fear of reprisal

Hundreds of people are on the move, refugees carrying suitcases, carrying mattresses, carrying all their belongings with them as they try and escape from what they fear are more reprisals to come.

People are fearing reprisals from army soldiers

There are also reports from up to seven surrounding villages that people have been fleeing for their lives.

As we drove down the road from Makurdi, and approached Zaki Biam, there was clear evidence that villages had been burnt and destroyed.

We passed the house of the former army chief-of-staff, General Victor Malu.

His house had been destroyed. Three people had been killed.

Destroyed

Those people that are left in the town - and there are very few - are standing around in a dazed state.

I spoke to one man who came to find his brother and found him dead in the street.

Many people who have been wanting to tell their story about what happened are gathered around me and are listening to what I'm telling the world because they want the story to get out of what happened when the army came here.

I am looking now at a pharmacy which has been completely destroyed and the owner has come back to the area to see what he can recover.

But there is nothing in this town now to save. Everything has been destroyed.