Following the reported killings of One hundred and ninety-one persons, coupled with the destruction of 2,000 houses as well as the displacement of 10,000 others weekend in Baga town, Borno State, in the most deadly confrontation between Boko Haram and soldiers of Multinational Task Force (MTF), President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a probe.
The President having received preliminary briefings from the Military High Command on the incident ordered a full-scale investigation into reports of high civilian casualties in the clash soldiers and insurgents at Baga.
In a statement by Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Jonathan noted that while preliminary briefings indicated that the casualty figures being reported by the media might have been grossly exaggerated, he assured “Nigerians and the global community that the Federal Government of Nigeria places the highest possible value on the lives of all citizens of the country and that his administration will continue to do everything possible to avoid the killing or injuring of innocent bystanders in security operations against terrorists and insurgents.”
The statement added: “Rules of engagement for the military and security agencies are already in place for this purpose and the investigation ordered by President Jonathan into the incident in Baga is to amongst other things, determine whether or not these rules were fully complied with.
“The President has also ordered the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) and Federal health agencies to liaise with the Borno State Government and take urgent steps to provide immediate relief and medical support for all who suffered losses and injury in the fighting at Baga.”
The President commiserated with those who “regrettably lost their lives in the fighting, including the soldiers who gallantly made the supreme sacrifice in the operation against terrorism, insurgency and insecurity in Nigeria.”
According to the statement, “The President is deeply pained by the continuance of these needless deaths and will continue to do all within his powers to achieve lasting peace, security and stability in all parts of the country.
“It is his hope and expectation that the National Committee which he will inaugurate on Wednesday for dialogue and the peaceful resolution of security challenges in the North will contribute significantly to ending the continuous loss of lives to wasteful violence.”
