ACN demands independent probe of Baga massacre
MAY 3, 2013
National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Mr. Lai Mohammed
Action Congress of Nigeria has called for an urgent and independent investigation into recent massacre in Baga, Borno State.
The party, which rejected the military and National Emergency Management Agency preliminary report on the tragedy, said the account presented to President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday by the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, was “everything but thorough”.
The report claimed that only 36 persons died in the massacre as against the 185 persons widely reported in the media.
The ACN, in a statement on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said there was the need to set up an independent probe to establish the truth of the April 16, 2013 reported confrontation between members of the Boko Haram and the Multi National Joint Task Force.
The party said, “Those who carried out that investigation apparently discountenanced the fact that in today’s world, nothing is hidden. Thanks to the satellite imagery released by Human Rights Watch on Wednesday, the world is now aware of the massive devastation that occurred in Baga. It is actually worse than what has been reported!
“The satellite images support the conclusion by the rights group that 2,275 buildings were destroyed in the clashes. They also seem to support the statements credited to the Senator representing the area, Lawan Maina, who put the death toll at 220.
“Contrast this to NEMA’s conclusion that far less than 1,000 homes were destroyed, or the military high command’s finding that only 36 people were killed, and it becomes glaring that something is wrong somewhere.
“The Nigerian media, now the favourite whipping boy of an increasingly edgy administration, has come under fire for reporting the massive killings and devastation. But those criticising the Nigerian media should endeavour to follow the international media’s reportage of the events in Baga to see that the local media is not just crying wolf.”
The party also noted that the country would have been spared the criticism of the tragedy, had the authorities carried out a more diligent investigation into the incidents.
It added, “In case the Federal Government has not seen the report of Human Rights Watch on the Baga tragedy, here is a quote from it: ‘The Nigerian military has a duty to protect itself and the population from Boko Haram attacks, but the evidence indicates that it engaged more in destruction than in protection.’
“The glaring discrepancies between the facts on the ground and statements by senior military officials raise concerns that they tried to cover up military abuses.”
The party added, “There is no doubt that Boko Haram, with its scorched earth tactics, may have engaged in actions that put the lives of civilians in jeopardy in Baga, but these insurgents have no rules of engagement like the military, and definitely do not value human lives. Therefore, the military, in engaging the insurgents in built-up areas, must strictly adhere to its rules of engagement to avoid or minimise the death of innocent civilians or destruction of their property.”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association on Thursday condemned the killings of civilians in Baga, saying it should not have happened in any civilised society with soldiers killing innocent civilians.
The NBA President Okey Wali, SAN, spoke in Abuja when he played host to the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Epiphany Azinge (SAN).
He said, “What happened in Baga in Borno State should never have happened in any civilised society, where the security operatives killed many innocent Nigerians. When the NBA called for amnesty, it was because of the love for the insurgents. Our position has always been that law enforcement has failed and that was why we called for dialogue.
“The government has the responsibility to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians. I commend the Institute for the amendment of the the penal codes, which has already started having negative effects with the pension judgment of Justice Abubakar Talba and we have always said that there was nothing wrong with the judgment. We are getting to a situation where our judges will be getting intimidated. We learnt that the prosecution had gone on appeal; we had thought that the NJC should have waited for the outcome of that appeal.”
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