Nigeria: Mass Killings In Borno: Nigerian Military Not Involved, Say Defence Headquarters

by Benson Agoha

Nigerian Troops are not involved in an alleged killing field in Borno State, according to Defence Headquarters.

 

It came as a Kaduna based cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, posted the following graphic images titled "GENOCIDE COMMITTED IN BORNO" quoting The acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Robert Jackson's statement on nigerian military thus:

"When soldiers destroy towns, kill civilians and detain innocent people with impunity, mistrust takes root".

 

In his post, the cleric said "These crimes must not go unpunished. The international community should institute an inquiry and forensics search of other mass graves and bring to those culpable to book."

He said "Please let us control our emotions and pray to Allah to expose all the criminals among us. So many innocent people have suffered. Enough is enough," adding "May Allah save us all. Amin."

 

 

* The victims, many of them children, were lined up, supervised by the man with the stick.

In an official statement released in Abuja on Thursday, May 22nd, 2014, Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said they found the allegation of genocide against the Nigerian military diversionary and unfortunate.

 

* They were shot dead.

 

 

* The killers dig a mass grave neaby.

 

 

 * And dumped them in the grave.

The statement said DHQ found the latest allegation of genocide against the Nigerian military by a Kaduna based cleric as not only diversionary but unfortunate, and "wishes to unequivocally dissociate the Nigerian military from any involvement in the alleged genocide."

DHQ said "while the military will continue to respect freedom of expression of Nigerians, it will not submit to desperate blackmail and propaganda aimed at diverting attention and pitching public opinion against the armed forces."

The statement said "Although the real motive of the report and presentation with the apparent intention to impute military complicity in the event depicted in the pictures is yet to unfold, the DHQ sees this allegation as the manifestation of yet another grand design to tarnish and denigrate the image of Nigerian Armed Forces."

DHQ said the Nigerian military remains a professional force whose operations is guided by "high standard of professional ethics" and will not be party to such dastardly act.

It said at no time or event in the course of the counter-insurgency operation have the troops embarked on the extra-judicial killing of civilians as exhibited in the gory pictures.

"The location and occasion where the events captured in the pictures were taken is unknown and has no bearing whatsoever as insinuated in the report by the Blueprint newspaper."

Doubting the individuals in the photos, DHQ said "The individual holding stick which the paper mischievously described as “a soldier stand(ing) guard…” is certainly not a Nigerian soldier neither is any of those captured in the pictures."

"The media are once again advised not to make themselves available to those who are desperate to tarnish the good name of the Nigerian Armed Forces," the statement said.

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* Photo Credit: Sheikh Mahmud Gumi.