The Taraba State Government and groups, including Middle Belt organisations, on Sunday rejected the report of a panel set by the Nigerian Army to investigate the allegation levelled against soldiers by a former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. T.Y. Danjuma (retd.).
The state government and groups stated this in separate interviews with The PUNCH, while commenting on the report submitted by the panel on Friday
Danjuma had, in March, advised Nigerians to defend themselves, saying soldiers were not neutral in the killings allegedly being perpetrated by armed Fulani herdsmen.
He said soldiers colluded with the bandits to kill people.
The 10-man army panel, which was inaugurated on April 9, by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, had dismissed Danjuma’s claims and asked the elder statesman to take caution.
The panel said in its report, “There was no collusion on the part of the army and units operating in Taraba State with any bandit as stated by Danjuma. There was good collaboration, synergy and cooperation between the army and other security agencies operating in the state.
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“Most of the crises in Taraba are politically motivated and some persons are deliberately escalating the situation for selfish gains. With respect to the statement by Danjuma, it is clear that the allegations are not true. Hence, there is need to urge for caution on the part of the elder statesman, in view of the security implications of such comments.”
Army can’t be a judge in own case –Taraba govt
But the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Taraba State on Media and Publicity, Mr. Bala Dan-Abu, told one of our correspondents in a telephone interview that the state government rejected the report in its entirety.
Bala noted that what the army did was simply to take the position of a judge in its own case.
He stated, “The allegations were made against the army and what we expected them to do was to set up an independent panel to investigate the allegations and not to assemble their men to give them justice in their own case.
“The armed forces should set up a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the allegations if they must be taken seriously.
“The allegation that the army is colluding with the armed herdsmen to kill Nigerians was not only made by retired Lt.Gen. T.Y. Danjuma and the Taraba State Government, but the Amnesty International too accused the Army of complicity in the killings, so they cannot deny that.
Punch
