President Goodluck Jonathan has offered the federal government’s
assistance to Borno State to rebuild Baga, a border town in the state in
which more than 190 people were killed in a gun duel between troops of
the Multinational Task Force (MTF), and Boko Haram insurgents
penultimate weekend. A presidency source confided in THISDAY at the
weekend that the presidential offer was one of the decisions reached
during a closed-door meeting held at the State House, Abuja, on Friday
between Jonathan and Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima. Although the
agenda of the meeting was not made public, it was learnt that the
governor came to Abuja to update the president on the incident in Baga,
where the displaced residents were still trying to pick up the pieces of
their lives after the orgy of killings and destruction in their town.
As the controversy over the actual death toll in the incident rages, a
fact-finding team constituted by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS),
Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, to ascertain the exact casualty figures, has
presented its findings in which it said contrary to reports and
allegations by some northern leaders, no mass grave was found after two
days of searching in the town.
But the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), yesterday faulted the military
high command’s account of the incident and made a case for the
redeployment of the MTF commander as well as the withdrawal of the
multinational troops. However, a Lagos-based lawyer and human rights
activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has urged the federal government to
direct the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), to investigate the
Baga massacre and all cases of extra-judicial killings in the course of
the anti-terror war to avoid government officials being reported to the
International Criminal Court (ICC), for conspiracy and crimes against
humanity. THISDAY learnt that Shettima was at the State House on Friday
to brief the president on the destruction of lives and property in Baga
and seek the assistance of the federal government in re-settling
victims. He also sought financial assistance from the federal government
so that the state could upgrade its intervention in the beleaguered
area, which has become the enclave of the insurgents since 2009.
Shettima, it was gathered, outlined the security challenges the state
was facing and ended his presentation with the situation in Baga, which
he said would require the federal government’s assistance to
rehabilitate the residents. The presidency source said: “President
Jonathan acquiesced to the request of the governor whom he had taken a
liking to after his visit to Borno and Yobe a couple of weeks back. The
president agreed to do everything possible to rebuild Baga town and also
give the state some financial leverage to enhance its security
operations against the Boko Haram insurgency.”
President Goodluck Jonathan has offered the federal government’s
assistance to Borno State to rebuild Baga, a border town in the state in
which more than 190 people were killed in a gun duel between troops of
the Multinational Task Force (MTF), and Boko Haram insurgents
penultimate weekend. A presidency source confided in THISDAY at the
weekend that the presidential offer was one of the decisions reached
during a closed-door meeting held at the State House, Abuja, on Friday
between Jonathan and Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima. Although the
agenda of the meeting was not made public, it was learnt that the
governor came to Abuja to update the president on the incident in Baga,
where the displaced residents were still trying to pick up the pieces of
their lives after the orgy of killings and destruction in their town.
As the controversy over the actual death toll in the incident rages, a
fact-finding team constituted by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS),
Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, to ascertain the exact casualty figures, has
presented its findings in which it said contrary to reports and
allegations by some northern leaders, no mass grave was found after two
days of searching in the town.
But the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), yesterday faulted the military
high command’s account of the incident and made a case for the
redeployment of the MTF commander as well as the withdrawal of the
multinational troops. However, a Lagos-based lawyer and human rights
activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has urged the federal government to
direct the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), to investigate the
Baga massacre and all cases of extra-judicial killings in the course of
the anti-terror war to avoid government officials being reported to the
International Criminal Court (ICC), for conspiracy and crimes against
humanity. THISDAY learnt that Shettima was at the State House on Friday
to brief the president on the destruction of lives and property in Baga
and seek the assistance of the federal government in re-settling
victims. He also sought financial assistance from the federal government
so that the state could upgrade its intervention in the beleaguered
area, which has become the enclave of the insurgents since 2009.
Shettima, it was gathered, outlined the security challenges the state
was facing and ended his presentation with the situation in Baga, which
he said would require the federal government’s assistance to
rehabilitate the residents. The presidency source said: “President
Jonathan acquiesced to the request of the governor whom he had taken a
liking to after his visit to Borno and Yobe a couple of weeks back. The
president agreed to do everything possible to rebuild Baga town and also
give the state some financial leverage to enhance its security
operations against the Boko Haram insurgency.”
source by
karinagk.blogspot.com
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