- It’s concoction of lies – Army
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) popularly known as Shi’ites has alleged that the Nigerian Army is planning to exhume bodies of their members allegedly buried in a mass grave in Kaduna in a bid to reduce the number of dead bodies.
Meanwhile, the Army in a swift reaction rejected the allegation, saying: “it is a concoction of lies and deliberate effort by the IMN to portray the Nigerian Army’s image negatively.”
The IMN in a statement signed by its spokesman, Ibrahim Musa said since the disclosure of the existence of a mass grave at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry by officials of the Kaduna state government, the Nigerian Army, who initially tried to debunk the existence of a mass grave in their testimonies has been uncomfortable.
The statement reads: “Reports reaching the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) have it that some unscrupulous people, who were behind the massacre of hundreds of unarmed citizens and their secret burial in a mass grave, are planning to secretly and unilaterally exhume the corpses in an effort to lower the figure of those buried therein in the event of a subsequent full blown international investigation of their crime.
“When it became obvious through confessions of officers of the state government that mass grave exists, and that officers and men of the Nigerian Army were fully involved in the construction of the mass grave as well as the secret burial of hundreds of IMN members they killed, the Nigerian Army officials have been working out how they could at least significantly put down the number of corpses buried in the grave. As a follow-up testimony at the Judicial Commission, they bluntly refused to acknowledge the hundreds killed and buried in the mass grave, claiming that they handed over only “a few” to state officials for burial.
“The Islamic Movement in Nigeria wishes to make it categorically clear that the site of the mass grave where the Kaduna state government admitted that it had buried 347 of those killed by the Nigerian military in Zaria last December is a crime scene, hence any attempt to tamper with it would not only be taken as a sacrilege and unacceptable, but also as an attempt to tamper with an important exhibit, which is a serious crime in itself.
“We wish to also show our dissatisfaction with the reaction of the government at all levels to the disclosure of the existence of mass grave. The least we expected were steps to protect and safeguard the place by independent-minded bodies, to prevent any attempts at mischievous alteration or obliteration of crime facts by perpetrators. If this confession of mass grave were in other climes, it would have been accorded all the protection of a crime scene, so that eventually justice will be done to the victims. Surprisingly, however, the site is left very vulnerable to mischief-makers.
“It remains on record that government officials testifying before the Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba-led commission had confessed to burying at least 347 corpses in a mass grave. If the military is claiming that only a “few” corpses were buried there, there should be no hasty unilateral action on any of the parties disputing the figures. Such must be done under the watchful eyes of independent observers and international community.”
However, the Nigerian Army in a statement by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 1 Division Headquarters, Kaduna, Colonel Abdul Usman said the allegation is a figment of their jaundiced imagination and a campaign of calumny against the Army.
He said, “The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to an online report by SAHARA REPORTERS ON 28 APRIL 2016 in which the Islamic Movement in Nigeria alleged that the Nigerian Army is planning to steal bodies from mass grave in Zaria. It further, stressed that a contingent of soldiers have been deployed to keep guard at the site of the mass grave in an effort to prevent the uncovering of the hundreds of bodies buried there. It is simply a figment of their jaundiced imagination and a campaign of calumny against the Army.
“The Army strongly and categorically reject the IMN’s unfounded n spurious allegation. It is simply a concoction of lies and deliberate effort by the IMN to portray the Nigerian Army’s image negatively.
“The Nigerian Army will like to make it abundantly clear that, it has never contemplated such act at anytime. It’s of no relevance whatsoever. we are focused on discharging our constitutional duty as a professional military force. We expect any responsible media to double check such weighty allegations before going to press. Nigeria’s national security and interest must never be toyed with.
“The Nigerian Army as a law abiding entity had already stated its facts regarding the December 12-14 incident in Zaria before the Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba led Judicial Commission of Inquiry. For the avoidance of doubt, the commission had on Wednesday 27th April, 2016 visited all the sites of the incident in Zaria including the grave site in Kaduna. It was widely aired. It is not the duty of the Army to guard any public grave site other than our own designated military cemeteries.
“It appears that the IMN’s desire is to whip up public sympathy not minding their crimes over several years against the people of Zaria as testified by the parties at the just concluded sitting of the commission, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria failed to state her facts or opinion if any as regards the incident of December 12th and 14th 2015 before the judicial commission of inquiry.”
He called on the general public to disregard this unfounded claim adding that the Nigerian Army will continue to safeguard the lives and property of all citizens in every part of the country.
