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Tag: Baga

  • Baga: Satellite evidence turns army logic on its head

    Theoretically speaking, no one is certain that the death toll from the clash between the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) and Boko Haram insurgents in Baga, Borno State is as high as locals say or as low as the military authorities swear. But whether the 36 dead declared by the Army or the 185 dead asserted by the locals, the circumstances of the clash and the furore that followed it indicate that something deeply troubling happened in that community. Following the outcry that greeted the high death toll and the thousands of houses allegedly burnt during the nearly two-day operation, the military quickly empaneled a team of officers to investigate the clash. Its report was not substantially different from the initial account given by the commanders of the Baga operation. They insisted there were fewer than 1000 houses in Baga, thereby questioning the account of locals who said more than 2000 houses were deliberately torched by the rampaging soldiers.

    Nigerians met the military investigation reports with deep cynicism. Senator Maina Ma’aji Lawan, whose constituency includes Baga, has denounced the military statistics as an infernal lie. He swore that a massacre occurred in the town. He also suggested that in fact much of the town was sacked, not in fighting, but in reprisal. There are a few other teams of investigators empowered to look into the clash. They are expected to give less colourful and more believable accounts. But meanwhile, a US-based rights group, the Human Rights Watch (HRW), has unexpectedly supplied satellite images of the destroyed town before and after the clash, thus proving that a huge swath of the town was indeed sacked and burnt. It further analysed that the conflagration could not have been triggered by small arms and light weapons, as speculated by the military.

    The military authorities are yet to reply to this new evidence. But it is fast dawning on everyone that in the face of modern science, there is no hiding place for anyone or atrocity. If the HRW satellite images stand, and there is no reason they should not, the officers who endorsed the military report may have imperiled their integrity and commission. They and President Goodluck Jonathan who was quick to embrace the report will be surprised to know that even in Africa things are changing, and the atrocities connived at in the past have become anathema.

    The National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria (NHRC) will also be investigating the clash. But it has implausibly and precipitately cautioned that the Baga incident should not be politicised. Absolute nonsense. Of course, no one is politicising the massacre. The fact is that everyone is too shocked by the scale of killings that it smacks of gross insensitivity and even snobbery for the government and the NHRC to suggest someone might be politicising the issue. Let us hope that the NHRC’s hasty caution does not prejudice the outcome of its report. As for the president and the military, they seem quite desperate to downplay the incident. But even if 36 were killed, it still amounts to crime against humanity if the victims were defenceless civilians instead of armed militants. Surely, the government and the military can tell the difference.

  • Baga paralysed by fear after invasion

    BAGA, Borno State, a few residents stand amid razed houses and charred vehicles in the fishing town of Baga, still mostly deserted nearly two weeks after fierce fighting between troops and Islamist insurgents.

    The bloody events of April 16 and 17 in the remote town which left almost 200 people dead are still murky and mired in heated debate.

    “The soldiers can claim they did not burn our homes because it happened in the dark,” resident Gaji Bukar told AFP on a tour of the village under military supervision.

    “But (my) area was burnt the following morning in broad daylight by soldiers who went door-to-door setting fire to homes and everybody saw them.”

    The military has denied accusations it deliberately shot civilians and set the blazes that razed nearly half the town, which lies near Lake Chad in the northeast corner of Borno State, the stronghold of radical Islamist group Boko Haram.

    Scores of people, including soldiers, insurgents and scores of civilians were killed, according to rescue officials and local leaders, making it the deadliest-ever episode in the Boko Haram conflict which has cost 3,600 lives since 2009.

    Bukar’s account was supported by statements given to Human Rights Watch by residents who say that the morning after brutal fighting between soldiers and insurgents on April 16, the military returned to Baga and set fire to homes.

    “We had no hand in setting the fire,” Brigadier-General Austin Edokpayi told AFP as his troops guided journalists through the dusty streets, the blackened rubble of destroyed buildings visible throughout.

    He said a four-hour gun battle started on the evening of April 16 as soldiers tried to thwart an impending attack by the insurgents. A military statement explained that troops returned the next morning to “mop up.”

    Edokpayi commands a multi-national force that includes troops from Chad, Niger and Nigeria, which is responsible for the region where porous borders allow criminal and insurgent groups to freely flow between countries.

    Parts of the state have fallen under Boko Haram’s control, he told journalists, a rare admission from the security services which typically seek to portray the Islamists as being on the defensive.

    “Some areas are now dominated by these terrorists and people live under their laws,” he said.

    He described Baga as a town paralysed by fear, where “nobody dares say anything against (Boko Haram) because if you do that, they come after you.”

    Dripping sweat under a searing sun as he piled up the wreckage of his burnt-down home, Usman Mohammed, 42, told AFP that scores of his neighbours are still in hiding, fearing the fighting could resume.

    “Many people are still in the bush,” he said, adding that Boko Haram had sent word to stay away from Baga as more attacks were coming.

    Certain neighbourhoods were declared off-limits to journalists by their military chaperones, areas that residents said had been the hardest hit.

    AFP reporters visited one area where two rows of freshly dug graves protruded from the desert terrain, each marked by a series of small sticks.

    “They should allow you to visit the two other cemeteries where most of the victims were buried,” said resident Adamu Bulama.

    The military has said that the absence of mass graves in Baga proves the death tolls have been inflated, insisting that only 37 people died, including 30 militants, six civilians and one soldier.

    Senator Maina Lawan, a Baga native who represents northern Borno, told AFP that he visited a series of graves last week and provided a death toll of 228.

    The Red Cross has said that 187 people were killed.

    The Boko Haram conflict, which the insurgents say is aimed at creating an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, has seen scores of deadly attacks across the north and centre of the country, Africa’s most populous and top oil producer.

    But the level of destruction in Baga appears unprecedented.

    Nigerian lawmakers have called for an independent investigation, while Human Rights Watch said the events of April 16 and 17 needed to be probed by the International Criminal Court.

    The rights group warned of signs that Nigeria “has tried to cover up” the abuses in Baga, publishing satellite images identifying 2,275 buildings apparently destroyed by fire, a figure the military has categorically dismissed.

    A relief effort has been launched, with 642 people being sheltered in a makeshift camp, according to the National Emergency Management Agency.

    But residents and Lawan, the senator, told AFP much more is needed including food supplies as normal trade in the area had stopped following the attacks.

    Mohammed, the 42-year-old resident, said some of his neighbours had no plans to come back.

    “Even those who are willing to return have stayed away,” he said, “because they have lost their homes to fire and have nowhere to stay.”

    Source: AFP

  • Rights Commission plans independent probe of Baga killings

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said it will probe the recent killings in Baga community of Borno State.

    The commission said the probe would ascertain the actual casualty figures, those involved in the violence and its cause.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja by its Chairman Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, the NHRC expressed concerns about the unending violence in the Northeast and the failure of relevant government agencies to provide reliable information on the state of affairs.

    The commission said it was relying on the NHRC Act, which empowers it to conduct such probes and make appropriate recommendations to the President and the National Assembly.

    It sought the assistance of all levels of governments, relevant agencies and individuals on the matter.

    The statement reads: “While the exact identities of the parties involved, what triggered this incident, the specifications of ordinance that may have been deployed and the number of casualties remain unclear, it seems that an incident of humanitarian and human rights significance occurred, resulting in fatalities.

    “To understand what happened, it is necessary to undertake an independent and credible assessment of the situation in the affected locations.

    “As an independent and statutory national institution for the protection of human rights, the NHRC has a responsibility to undertake this assessment. For this purpose, we are undertaking separate consultations with relevant agencies as well as people from the affected communities.

    “An assessment will also involve a visit to the affected communities. The commission also proposes to monitor and undertake an assessment of the wider humanitarian situation in the Northeast of Nigeria.

    “Sections 5 (b)-(e) and 6(1) of the amended NHRC Act requires the Commission in such situations, to undertake investigations, assessments or studies and address recommendations to the President, the National Assembly or any other institution on what may be done.”

    “If an assessment discloses human rights crimes, the NHRC Act also empowers the Commission to make appropriate recommendations for accountability. The Act also gives the Commission full powers of a commission of inquiry, if necessary. As an independent institution, the NHRC must act with fairness, rigour and professionalism and we are committed to doing so.

    “For their parts, the NHRC fully requests the agencies of government at all levels, federal, state, and local government as well as elected representatives of the affected communities to afford it full co-operation and assistance in the conduct of this important work.

    “We will also appeal to the affected communities to extend similar co-operation to the Commission. Any persons who may have any information that can assist the Commission in forming a view of what may have transpired can avail it of such information through its Executive Secretariat, 19 Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja.

    “The commission is maintaining full consultation with relevant international and regional institutions and Mandates and will keep all apprised of our progress and findings.

    “In the interim, the NHRC transmits sincere condolences to the communities, families and persons affected or bereaved by violence in different parts of Nigeria,” NHRC said.

  • I weep for Baga town

    SIR: I join lovers of humanity to lament the brutal and malodorous massacre of innocent civilians at Baga town. I also deprecate and publicly deplore in strong terms the killings of security forces by men who have since sold their soul to the devil.

    It beat my imagination that at a time when peace process effort had begun, few species of “gallow birds” still hide under the cover of terrorism to desecrate the sanctity of humanity. We must not forget that an attack on our security forces is indeed an attack on the state. I believe members of our forces have the right to life just as others civilians. Consequently, I think the rules of engagement do not dictate to security agents to fold their hands and watch with amusement when they are under life-threatening attack. The Baga ‘comdie noire’ would have been averted if community leaders were on the quivive and sincere. The onus is on them to alert security forces of the presence of criminally minded characters in their abode. They kept silent and allowed their land to serve as safe haven for wanted agents of doom. If they had provided the security forces with security report, a more professional approach could have been adopted to smoke them out. It is a known fact that terrorists all over the world use human shields and civilian populated areas to plan and launch attacks. So trying to fish them is usually very difficult especially during an emergency response operation.

    Let me use these medium to appeal to Nigerians regardless of religious and other social divides to support the proposed amnesty to those murderous machinators and children of Erebus who have killed and promised to kill more in a shell display of satanic braggadocio. We must never be tempted to see the amnesty approach as weakness but sign of political cum spiritual maturity. While those opposed to the amnesty should not forget the powerful mantra of Desmond Tutu which says that “if you want to make peace, you do not talk to your friends, you talk to your enemies”, for the umpteenth time I want to submit that violence does not pay and we must reject violence. The Baga ‘cause celebre’ accentuate the vantage point of John .F. Kennedy that man must put an end to war or war will put and end to man. Please let there be peace in the Land.

    • Ehi G.O.

    Benin City

  • Is Baga a case for International Criminal Court

    Is Baga a case for International Criminal Court

    The killings shook the nation. Many are yet to recover from the shocking news that 185 people were killed during a military assault in Baga, the border town 180 kilometres north of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. To the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the action is a crime against humanity, which should go before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Lawyers are divided on whether the ICC should step in or not, reports JOSEPH JIBUEZE.

    YOU can hardly find it on the map, but Baga, the border town 180 kilometres north of Borno State, has become popular over night. Curiously, it became popular because of a tragedy–the killing of hundreds, during a military invasion of the town. No fewer than 185 persons were said to have been killed, but the military is disputing the figure.

    Human rights agencies reported a high number of civilian casualties and the government has been under pressure to investigate whether excessive force was used. President Goodluck Jonathan has vowed to conduct an inquiry into whether the troops departed from the rules of engagement.

    The Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) comprising Nigerian, Chadian and Nigerien troops under the command of Brig. Gen. Austin Edokpaye, is said to be responsible for the massacre.

    Many natives were reported to have sworn that they saw soldiers chase Baga locals out before torching their homes. They were said to have also mowed down fleeing civilians.

    The casualty figure is being disputed. The military claims that the figure is not up to 185.

    The Senator representing Borno North, Senator Maina Ma’aji Lawan, was quoted as saying that what he saw when he visited his constituency.

    The excessive firepower allegedly deployed by the soldiers has been condemned. Many are wondering: Is the government’s action lawful – to organise joint military action and apply the rules and techniques of international peace keeping operation against innocent citizens in an attempt to quell domestic insurgency?

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described the attacks as crimes against humanity, which it said deserves the attention of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    The party said the intervention of the ICC became necessary because the Federal Government has not demonstrated enough willingness to bring the masterminds of the killings to book.

    Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati said: “In no manner could President Jonathan be accused of having incited the security agencies or the insurgents against the people of Baga, during his visit to Yobe and Borno states. To make such an allegation is preposterous and insulting.”

    Is it time to invite the ICC as the ACN suggested? Yes, say some lawyers. According to them, Part 2, Article 5 of the Rome Statute grants the court jurisdiction over four groups of crimes, which it refers to as the “most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole.” They are genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

    The statute defines each of the crimes except for aggression. The crime of genocide is unique because it is committed with ‘intent to destroy’. Crimes against humanity are specifically listed as prohibited acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population.

    The statute provides that the court will not exercise its jurisdiction over the crime of aggression until state parties agree on a definition of the crime and outline the conditions under which it may be prosecuted.

    There are indications that the ICC may have started probe of previous attacks against civilians. Special Prosecutor, Mrs Fatou Bensouda, reportly said ICC has begun investigation into allegations of extra-judicial killings in Nigeria by security forces.

    Bensouda confirmed this in an interview published in the August/September 2012 edition of the New African Magazine, where she was quoted as saying: “The OTP (office of the prosecutor) is currently conducting preliminary examinations in a number of situations, including Afghanistan, Georgia, Guinea, Columbia, Honduras, Korea and Nigeria”

    The Baga attack is not the first time soldiers will be accused of going beyond their mandate. Amnesty International, in its 2012 report on Nigeria, alleged that the JTF cordoned off the Kaleri Ngomari Custain area in Maiduguri after a Boko Haram bombing.

    Going from house to house, they reportedly shot dead at least 25 people. Many men and boys were reported missing. The JTF also burned down several houses, forcing occupants to flee. At least 45 people were reportedly injured. Women were allegedly also raped by the security forces.

    In trying to solve the Boko Haram problem, the President has set up an amnesty committee, which he asked to “perform magic” in three months.

    The United States, speaking through the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson, had called for the creation of a Ministry of Northern Affairs, or a Development Commission for the North.

    Analysts say Boko Haram capitalises on popular frustrations with the nation’s leaders, poor government service delivery, and the dismal living conditions of many northerners and then seeks to humiliate and undermine the government and exploit religious differences to create chaos and make Nigeria ungovernable.

    Boko Haram has created widespread insecurity across northern Nigeria, increased tensions between various ethnic communities, interrupted development activities, frightened off investors, and generated concerns among Nigeria’s northern neighbors.

    The sect, it appears, has grown stronger and increasingly more sophisticated over the years, and experts say eliminating the problem would require a comprehensive and broad based strategy that establishes a comprehensive development plan rather than the imposition of martial law.

    Experts say while more sophisticated and targeted security efforts are necessary to contain Boko Harm’s acts of violence and to capture and prosecute its leaders, the government must also win over the population by addressing the social and economic problems that have created the environment in which Boko Haram can effectively thrive.

    The government, observers say, must improve its tactics, avoid excessive violence and human rights abuses, make better use of its police and intelligence services, de-emphasise the role of the military and use its courts to prosecute those who are found to be culpable.

    Some lawyers are of the view that acts by security agents which endanger innocent lives must be avoided, but opinions were divided on whether the ICC should be invited at this time.

    For the majority, the government should focus on the political environment that makes Boko Haram dangerous. By demonstrating the benefits a pluralistic society has to offer, the government can deny Boko Haram and other extremists the ability to exploit ethnic and religious differences.

    By becoming more responsive to the people, analysts believe the government can put distance between itself and the accusations that it is blind to the needs of northern Nigerians. It should develop a new social compact with northern citizens and an economic recovery strategy that complements its security strategy.

    A social analyst, Okachikwu Dibia, said there was the eed to overhaul the Nigerian security system, and help them to develop the basic attitude to deal with sophisticated social problem

    A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Felix Fagbohungbe, said the government should be given the benefit of the doubt as it explores measures to solve the problem.

    He said: “Luckily, government has set up a committee to look into the cause of the clash. May be the findings of this committee will help us in finding lasting solution to the menace of the Boko Haram.

    “Since the committee was set up, they have assured the government that amnesty is the best solution to the issue. I think the government should have confidence in the committee and the elders of the North who have already visited the President and gave undertakings, including the Sultan of Sokoto. I think we should wait for the report of the committee set up by the government.

    “Government must look after them. Government must set up a relief fund for them and ameliorate their problems. I believe they should be compensated.”

    Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN) said ICC intervention may be not needed yet.

    “The President had promised that the culprits will not go unpunished. You only resort to ICC if the country where such acts take place is either unwilling or does not possess the judicial capacity to deal with the issue.

    “Nigeria possesses the judicial ability and the president had indicated the willingness to ensure justice, so there is no need for ICC intervention,” Ali said.

    For Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN) the high level of insecurity is a function of unemployment. He said governments at all levels must devise more creative ways to tackle the unacceptable level of joblessness in the country.

    Rights activist Femi Falana said with such summary executions and the brutal killing of hundreds of innocent people by the joint task forces operating in the Niger Delta and in some northern states, a strong case has been made for the immediate intervention of ICC to try the culprits who have committed such crimes against humanity with impunity.

    Activist Bamidele Aturu agreed with Ngige, saying social injustices must be addressed.

    “My position remains that the insurgency is a consequence of socio-economic inequities in our system and a reaction to the comprehensive conspicuous consumption and corruption of the ruling elite who do nothing but loot the treasury.

    “The way to go is to cancel all existing oil blocks, declare free education and health services at all levels and create jobs for the several millions of unemployed youth. The government does not seem to get that. Resort to mass murder of innocent citizens is both reckless and irresponsible.”

    Executive Director of a human rights group, the Access to Justice, Mr Joseph Otteh, is of the view that Jonathan government must go beyond setting up an enquiry.

    “By his rather light-hearted, facetious reaction to acts possibly amounting to genocide committed by the military in the guise of fighting terror, President Jonathan’s government is implicitly aiding genocide, and emboldening those who perpetrate it.

    “All that our President said, hearing of the brutal massacre of nearly two hundred people, is that the government would set up an inquiry!

    “There was no outrage, no condemnation, no indignation, no declaration that this was unacceptable and that the rampaging soldiers had crossed the boundaries of what was a legitimate engagement with those who practice terror. Now the medicine seems to be worse than the disease!”

    Otteh argues that if need be, nothing stops the ICC from intervening.

    He said: “The ICC has jurisdiction over these cases, and in the absence of a clear willingness of the Nigerian government to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, we would support the ICC’s intervention. I do not expect that a recurrence of this incident will be foreclosed either now or in the near future. Our government does not only fail to guarantee security of human life, it even treats human life with contempt!”

    Executive Director, Social and Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC), Felix C. Morka, believes the killings were most worrisome because of reports that many of the dead were not related to or associated with violence.

    He said: “The Federal Government and the Nigerian army need to be extremely careful. There is serious need to streamline the mandate of the JTF. I have not seen any explanation by the government on why an international operation became necessary. I also think there is no justification whatsoever, for the deployment of international troops for this operation, because with this development, other radical elements in some of these northern neighbouring countries will begin to align more with Book Haram.”

    A lawyer, Otunba Olusegun Otayemi described the killing as highly condemnable. He said those affected should seek legal redress against the government.

    “Since neither war nor state of emergency has been declared in the affected area, every person affected not being the target of the military operation, has a cause of action against the Federal Government which deployed the officers for the operation and is therefore vicariously liable for their excesses.”

    President, Coalition of Lawyers for Good Governance, Mr Joe Nwokedi, said the killing of innocent civilians was not justifiable in local and international law.

    “What happened at Baga is purely genocide and therefore requires full international attention. Whatever excuse the soldiers might have given for such a dastardly act and massacre of innocent civilians should not be accepted. Justice must be done!”

  • Baga: Some displaced persons still in the bush, says NEMA

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday said some displaced persons in the recent Baga crisis in Borno State are still hiding in the bush.

    A statement by Mr Abdulkadir Ibrahim, the NEMA Information Officer for the Northeast in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, noted that despite the return of normalcy in Baga town, most of the displaced persons are still scattered in the bush.

    “Other people are taking refuge in the homes of their relations in the neighbouring communities,” it said.

    The statement explained that humanitarian workers, led by the agency, have begun the distribution of relief items to displaced persons.

    It added: “This is in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s directive to the agency that immediate relief materials should be given to the people.

    “The Director-General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, had despatched a team of officers with the relief and medical items to affected persons in the area.”

    NEMA’s Director, Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Charles Otebagde, expressed concerns about the people still hiding in the bush.

     

  • Baga crisis: Some displaced persons still in the bush — NEMA

    Baga crisis: Some displaced persons still in the bush — NEMA

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says some of the displaced persons during the recent Baga crisis in Borno are still hiding in the bush.

    This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Abdul kadir Ibrahim, the NEMA Information Officer in the North East Zone, in Yola on Monday.

    According to the statement, following the return of normalcy and on arrival into Baga town, the agency discovered that most of the displaced persons are still scattered in the bush.

    “Other people are taking refuge in the homes of their relations in the neighbouring communities,” it said.

    He said that humanitarian workers led by the agency had commenced distribution of relief items to displaced persons affected by the crisis.

    “This is in line with the President Goodluck Jonathan directive to the agency that immediate relief materials should be given to the people.

    “The Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi had dispatched a team of officers with the relief and medical items to affected persons in the area,’’ Ibrahim said.

    “The major task before NEMA is to ensure that people in the bush are relocated to temporary camps,’’ the statement quoted NEMA Director, Search and Rescue, Air Commondore Charles Otebagde as saying.

    It also revealed that an immediate rapid assessment was being conducted in collaboration with Red Cross and other voluntary organisations.

    According to the statements, relief items are being distributed while those with minor injuries are being treated at a temporary camp clinic opened in the area.

    The statement said that the communities affected were Bayan Bulabulin, Anguwa Gajagaja, Aliya, Musarin Baga, Kasuwan baga, Layin Yannono.

    It appealed to the people to remain calm as no meaningful development could be achieved without peace.

    The items distributed by the officials together with other humanitarian workers included medical, sanitary, food, household materials and tents.

    Meanwhile, the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai, has appealed to humanitarian organisations, corporate organisations and public spirited individuals to provide more relief materials to Baga victims.

    Ibn Garbai made this known on Monday in Baga during a sympathy visit to the people of Baga, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno.

    He said that the victims were in dare need of urgent support due to the magnitude of the disaster.

    Ibn Garbai, who presented a cash donation of an undisclosed amount to the victims, commended the state government for its assistance to the victims.

    Senator Maina Ma’aji, the Senator representing Borno North in the Senate also made similar calls.

    He urged the Federal Government to deploy doctors and medical supplies to the various camps in the town.

  • Baga inferno

    Baga inferno

    In view of claims and counter claims, Federal Government should probe the incident

    From frightening media reports, it looked somewhat like a present day replication of Dante’s Inferno, a 14th century epic poem by Italian Dante Aligheri – the sheer hell of Baga, a North-East Nigerian border town, in which a Nigerian-led multinational military force and Boko Haram anarchists clashed.

    A reported 185 lost their lives in gory circumstances; another estimated 10, 000 lost their homes en route to the whole town being reportedly levelled; not to talk of luckless refugees fleeing across the border into Cameroun, Chad and Niger. Baga is in Kukawa Local Government of Borno State. The border town lies some 180 kilometres north of Maiduguri, the state capital.

    A local, quoted by Daily Trust, could not have put the tragedy more chillingly: “We have joined the comity of the disenfranchised … our wealth is gone, our people massacred and our merchandise burnt. In fact, we have little hope for a prosperous future again.”

    For an insurrection powered basically by poverty and hopelessness, it is no comfort that Baga may have birthed another band of the hopeless and bitter, primed perhaps to join the Boko Haram anarchy.

    Baga was an unmitigated human tragedy and grave humanitarian crisis which must be condemned in the strongest terms possible. Any country that sits over regular spilling of blood, as it has been since the Boko Haram insurrection started – Baga being only the latest but not likely the last – must re-think its essence. It is a most intolerable situation.

    Yet, there appears to be no easy way out of the quagmire right now.

    A wave of opinion is rising: that the Nigerian military, with its Chadian and Nigerien collaborators in the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF), commanded by Brig. Gen. Austin Edokpaye , was responsible for the massacre. Indeed, many natives were reported to have sworn they saw soldiers chase Baga locals out of their houses and set their homes on fire, aside from allegedly firing and mowing down fleeing civilians.

    To the extent that the Nigerian military, in crisis situations, sometimes morph into uniformed outlaws, they probably had it coming being blamed for this one. Each time army personnel had some trouble with some civilians, or even weaker security agencies like the police, the soldiers just remobilise and flatten out the area of urban combat. It happened in Ojuelegba, Lagos, not too long ago, when soldiers sacked the local police station with the adjoining police barracks – and heavens didn’t fall.

    In the Baga case, however, despite the intolerable human toll, the military would appear a victim of their own name (pitched against phantom Boko Haram insurgents) and bad reputation. Boko Haram has logged a fearsome record for irrational killing, bordering on the insane. Yet, hardly anyone is mentioning the sect’s part in the tragic stand-off.

    It is true, the army personnel involved in the dastardly operation should strictly stick to their terms of engagement. And indeed, the tragedy should be probed; and anyone found culpable on this score should be punished – and publicly and resoundingly so. This is important since the military has denied that the casuality figure was exaggerated.

    Still, in Boko Haram cases, the army deserves some sensitivity, if not understanding.

    Let us review the “facts” as reported. The crisis started when some Boko Haram insurgents shot at and killed an officer on patrol, as a result of a tip-off. The base of initial conflict was a local mosque in which, intelligence said, Boko Haram operatives were holed up. From the military’s account, it was from this mosque, and in any case its environs, that the Boko Haram fighters launched their rocket-propelled grenades, the reported retaliation to which caused all the mayhem. Many of the victims reportedly died as Boko Haram’s enforced human shields.

    But even before the first shot was fired, there had been a total collapse of the concept of citizenship and civic duties and responsibilities. The people that lived in the vicinity of the mosque: did they know of the Boko Haram activities around it? If they did, who did they inform? Of course, a valid point could be made that torn between the devil of Boko Haram and the deep blue sea of a toothless Nigerian state, they had little choice but to hold their peace. That is not unreasonable.

    However, keeping mum made the people themselves somewhat complicit in the disaster that later befell the town. Perhaps if there had been earlier whistle-blowing, the Boko Haram threat would have been punctured; and the Baga tragedy averted. So entrenched, indeed was Boko Haram, according to a media report, that the insurgents even wrote a taunting letter threatening to dislodge the military from the locale!

    But in the vociferous military blame game to follow, nobody even remembers this civic anomaly. Northern elders (as would be expected of elders of any place involved in such massacres) trenchantly blame the military. The media too has come down heavily on the army. Partisan voices have also slipped, one on the fumbling and bungling President Goodluck Jonathan, showing that many a partisan foe would not mind playing to the partisan gallery on security matters – and a dire one at that.

    Still, for this problem to be solved, a national consensus is required – a consensus that must start from the Northern elders themselves. The surest point against Boko Haram – and even mail-fisted military reaction – is intelligence. But how do you ferret intelligence from a populace that fears Boko Haram and hates the Federal Government? Layers of authority in the North must therefore abandon what looks like closet sympathy for Boko Haram, totally renounce its dubious cause and somehow persuade and embolden the people to give useful information to rein in the sect’s murderous activities.

    Thereafter, everyone must key into collectively solving a menacing national crisis that threatens to make bestiality and eternal slaughter a sickening national ethos. It is a period of national emergency; and everyone must come together to save the grave security situation.

     

  • ACF ENDORSE PROBE OF BAGA KILLINGS

    ACF ENDORSE PROBE OF BAGA KILLINGS

    The northern social political organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, yesterday endorsed a probe of the killings in Baga community of Borno state, saying that the incident coming at a time when the nation was looking forward to an amicable resolution of the insecurity in the land was unfortunate.

    In a communique at the end of its meeting in Kaduna, the forum said that aa thorough investigation should be carried out and those found guilty prosecuted to serve as a deterrent for others.

    The communique which was signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani also welcome the coming together of the form and the Northern Elders Forum to try and find lasting solution to the insecurity in the land.

    The statement reads “The meetings were well attended by members and chaired by the NEC Chairman in the person of Alhaji Aliko M. Mohammed, Dan Iyan Misau. General J.T Useni chaired that of BOT. Many issues of national importance with direct bearing on the North were discussed; and it was resolved that the following statement be issued

    “The Forum noted with shock the reports of violence between the JTF and the sect which destroyed many lives and properties in Baga village in Borno State. Severe shock in the sense that apart from such monumental losses, the violence has come at a time when the talks of amnesty leading to constructive dialogue is expected to inform cessation of hostilities and take advantage of the efforts being made to bring an end to the untold hardship brought about by destruction of lives and properties.

     

    “And given different accounts of the same circumstance of such violent destruction, Arewa Consultative Forum endorsed thorough investigations by the authority of what happened with a view to unveiling the facts needed for retribution to offenders as deterrent against future occurrence.

    “To that end, both the government and the governed must avoid generalizations that are not well informed by hard facts. Nigerians and the media must be wary of half truths, lest they worsen the already dire and complex situation in demand of highest level of imagination, commitment and determination that often come with patriotic courage and political will.

    “The meetings also considered the circumstances of withdrawals from the Amnesty Committee by some members; and resolved that even though consultations ought to precede announcements of names of members in view of the dire nature of the assignment, that should not make some members reject their membership of the Amnesty Committee.

    “The Forum, therefore, called on such members to reconsider their decisions in overriding interest of the North, the nation and for humanity. This is because no sacrifice is too much to bring about peace across the nation. It is no time for blame game but for consciously directed collective efforts needed to make insecurity history.

    “The Forum welcomed the consideration and coming together of the various Northern platforms, especially of ACF and Northern Elders Forum, for the express purpose of unleashing their synergy through confronting the collective challenges facing the North and the country as a whole. This is more so that most members of the different groups are still members of Arewa consultative Forum in pursuit of the same aims and objectives”.

  • Senate orders investigation into Baga mayhem

    Senate orders investigation into Baga mayhem

    Senate President David Mark on Tuesday directed the Senate Committee on Defence, Police, National Security and Intelligence to investigate the mayhem in Baga, Borno during a military face-off.

    Mark gave the directive following a point of order raised by Sen. Maina Lawan (ANPP-Borno) on the mayhem in Baga.

    More than 180 persons had been reportedly killed and hundreds of houses destroyed in Baga town during an assault between the military and insurgents in the area.

    The senate president said that the Senate would not apportion blame yet on who was responsible for the death of several civilians during the assault.

    “The number of people who are being named to have been killed regardless of who did it is totally unacceptable, that number is just too much.

    “Just as Sen. Magoro and Salihu will say fighting in built up area is a very difficult operation.

    “That notwithstanding, there must be standard rules of engagement and those rules of engagement will not include mass killings or extra judicial killing of any form.

    “But I do not want any debate on it because there is already a committee that has been set up by the executive to probe it.

    “But we in the legislature will set up a committee to investigate the facts and whether the reports we got are correct or not.

    Mark appealed to those who would appear before the committee to have the courage to come up and testify.

    “The problem is not setting up a committee, it is whether people will come and give evidence before the committee but I urge Nigerians who know the facts to appear before this committee,’’ he said.

    Mark gave the joint committee two weeks to report back to the Senate and later invited the legislators to observe a minute silence in honour of the victims of the attack.

    Earlier, Sen. Lawan described the level of destruction in his senatorial zone as “outrageous’’ and warned of ongoing humanitarian crisis in the area.

    He demanded full-scale investigation into the incident in Baga community and called on concerned agencies of government and individuals to come to the aid of the surviving citizens.

    “My zone the Borno North Senatorial district is today a no-go area for normal operations of government, be it business or social.

    “In particular, I wish to draw attention to several national dailies in the last three or four days and very wide an extensive coverage of all the international electronic media.

    “These news items are largely true and still coming closer home, my hometown of Baga is today in total ruins with 180 to 200 human lives lost and numerous others unaccounted for.

    “More than 2,000 homes destroyed, 62 cars and 284 motor cycles and tonnes of food stuff destroyed.’’ he said.

    Lawan continued: “At this stage I would not want to enmesh in the blame game on whether it is the multinational joint task force or the JTF or the insurgents that carried out the atrocities.

    “But it appears the killings bear the hallmark of Odi (killings), however whoever did it, that level of atrocity is outrageous, unacceptable and condemnable in any civilised society even in societies at war,’’ he said.

    Lawan also thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for setting-up the amnesty committee toward resolving the insurgency in the northern part of the country.

    He however advised that “the ultimate solution to this urgency is a genuine dialogue that must necessarily address the immediate and remote underlining causes of the insurgency.

    “Two years ago, I said on the floor of this Senate that boots and bullets cannot solve the problem, let’s put our thinking caps on and take advantage of this amnesty initiative and face the problem headlong,’’ he said.