JTF Accuses Borno Elders of Backing Boko Haram

Posted by admin Armed Forces, Boko Haram, National Politics Friday, July 15th, 2011

The military Joint Task Force (JTF) established by the Federal Govern-ment to restore order to Borno State is now locked in a war of words with the Committee of Borno Elders and Leaders of Thought, accusing them of having sympathy for the sect, Boko Haram, which has been carrying out a bombing campaign in some parts of the North.

The elders had issued a statement on Monday asking for the withdrawal of troops from Maiduguri on the ground that their presence was rather escalating the crisis and that they were involved in human rights abuses, including rape.

But speaking to journalists Thursday, the Commander of the JTF code-named “Opera-tion Restore Order”, Major General Jack Okechukwu Nwaogbo, alleged that the “lies” against his men were “the handiwork of sponsors, sympathisers and members of the sect aimed at discrediting the task force so as to have a field day to operate”.

He said: “The JTF wishes to draw the attention of the public to some allegations against the personnel of the JTF in some of the national newspapers. One of such allegations was that hundreds of youths have been shot and killed by soldiers for no known reason other than they are young people.”

Nwaogbo said this allegation was not true as those killed were members of the Boko Haram sect, insisting that the officers of the JTF were professionals and were in the state to restore law and order.

He further said: “No member (of the JTF) is involved in rape… the cordon-and-search carried out is properly supervised by members of all security agencies.”

According to him, the youths that were responsible for the rape were reported and arrested with the assistance of the people in Gwange area and were currently in the custody of the JTF, and that one of them that was seriously beaten up had been admitted to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).

The commander lamented that it was sad that some people had now found their voices on happenings in Borno which they had kept quiet all along until the clampdown on the sect members started.

He asked what happened to these voices when the fundamentalists were having a field day killing and maiming at will and paralyzing businesses.

But the Borno elders and leaders of thought have reacted, insisting that the abuses actually took place.

The statement read: “The attention of this committee has been drawn to a widely circulated press release by the spokesman of the Joint Task Force operating in Maiduguri. The statement was to the effect that the spokesman of the soldiers was denying the involvement of their men in the mass killing of innocent people and destruction of houses, vehicle etc.

“This committee will want to re-echo its stand and state without an iota of doubt that the soldiers have engaged themselves in extra judicial killing of people and other ungodly acts unbecoming of their role as those who are supposed to safeguard the lives, property and dignity of Nigerians.

“We have incontrovertible evidences to prove our claims. For example even at the most recent incident at Kaleri, over 40 persons were killed while the Task Force claimed they killed only eleven as if the eleven human beings are nothing. So many houses and cars were burnt.”

The elders further said: “In any case, the affected communities are there and the remnants of items destroyed are also there. These are very easy to assess and verify. The communities affected know who did the damages. Those fleeing Maiduguri are still alive to give evidence.”

They lamented that, “it is very unfortunate that the JTF has been trying to justify their unacceptable and outrageous acts instead of showing remorse and checking the excesses of their men.”

They said they had not changed their minds on their call to the Federal Government to immediately withdraw all soldiers from the streets of Maiduguri, asking government that “to do otherwise would mean the intention is to destroy the city of Maiduguri”.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has, meanwhile, added its voice to that of the elders, calling for the immediate withdrawal of the soldiers.

The NBA, in a press release signed by the chairmen of its Maiduguri and Biu chapters, Aminu Sani and Bala Aliyu, called on President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately withdraw the soldiers from Maiduguri and Jere.

The two chapters after rising from an emergency meeting in Maiduguri also condemned what it called “the excesses of the JTF” and called for a full investigation and prosecution of “all those found culpable in the atrocities perpetrated on innocent, defenceless citizens of Nigeria and Borno” on July 6 and 9.

Their demands included the setting up of a judiciary commission of inquiry to be headed by a retired or serving high court judge to investigate those who lost their lives and/or properties and recommend appropriate compensation; Borno State government to revisit the total ban on the use of motorcycles and to release without further delay the tricycles promised; improved intelligence gathering and have dialogue with the aggrieved members of the sect.

Also included are the prosecution of those responsible for the extra judicial killings of the leaders of Boko Haram members which should be publicised and addressing of the cause of the problems leading to the crisis of July 29, 2009.

In another press release, a paramount ruler in Borno State, the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, has appealed to the people not to flee Maiduguri and neighbouring Jere because of the recent security challenge in the state.

He asked them to “remain calm, peaceful and law abiding”, adding that with “the current and on-going prayers across the state for peace, there is no cause for alarm and people should remain where they are and go about their normal business”.

The king also appealed to security agencies to be vigilant and perform their duties without unnecessary harassment of the populace, calling on the people not to relent in offering prayers for peace, unity, progress and development of the state and the nation at large.

-ThisDaywp_posts