The Federal Government, on Thursday, ordered the
Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, to
investigate all allegations of misconduct against troops involved in
internal security operations in Borno State.
The order is coming on the heels of the killing of a woman in Biu, Borno State, by members of the military Joint Task Force, on Wednesday.
Also on Thursday, Kaduna State Governor Patrick Yakowa suggested that policemen should be made to undergo psychiatric and psychological tests twice in a year. Yakowa said the tests had become imperative because of the rising cases of extra-judicial killings by policemen in the country.
The governor spoke at the North-West Zonal Public Tribunal on Police Abuse in Nigeria organised by the National Human Rights Commission and Network on Police Reform in Nigeria.
He said, “The orientation should involve experts in psychology, psychiatry, sociology and other human behavioural sciences. I can go further to suggest that every policeman should be subjected to psychological and psychiatric tests every six months.”
The JTF was deployed in Borno to combat the fundamentalist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, which had claimed responsibility for a string of bombings in the state capital, Maiduguri, and other parts of the state.
However, internal security operations in Borno have been dogged by allegations of extra-judicial killings, beatings and unlawful arrests.
Recently, the Amnesty International issued a report asking the Federal Government to investigate and punish soldiers for the cases of unlawful arrests, killings and disappearances in the state.
While government had quickly set up a fact-finding committee to investigate some of the complaints, it had largely refrained from acknowledging or criticising the conduct of the troops.
However, in what could pass for a rare, mild rebuke of the military operations in the state on Thursday, government, in a statement issued by the Minister of Defence, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, in Abuja acknowledged the excesses and assured that a probe was in the offing.
Mohammed said soldiers were under instructions to only use minimum force when involved in internal security operations, adding that they had also been told to always “be tactful with the civilian population.”
He said though the military was “doing a very good job in the protection of lives and property of Nigerian citizens in various theatres of internal security and peacekeeping operations, a few bad eggs amongst them sometimes over-reacted to situations and created discontent amongst the civilian population.”
He added that those bad eggs were responsible for “dragging the name of the military into disrepute.”
The minister assured that government was making efforts to further professionalised the military, adding that efforts were ongoing to ensure that only “credible persons are recruited to the Armed Forces.”
Mohammed appealed to Nigerians to cooperate with security agencies as they sought to combat the menace of fundamentalism and crime.
“We appeal to all elements that have grudges and complaints against the society or government, especially in the North-East Zone of the country, to come out and present their grievances to the Ambassador Galtimari-led Committee, which has been appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan to look into the security situation in the north eastern part of the country, with a view to restoring normalcy and resolving grievances.
Reports say the woman was shot dead during an operation that led to the arrest of some suspected Boko Haram members, among whom were some Islamic clerics.
The killing reportedly angered the youths of the town who then launched attacks on the security forces. During the violent clashes, a church and the palace of the emir of the town were set ablaze by youths.
Boko Haram, which means “western education is sinful”, has claimed responsibility for bomb attacks targeting police stations and checkpoints, churches and relaxation spots within and outside the state.
Among other demands, the sect wants the strict application of the Islamic legal code, Sharia, applied across Nigeria.
At the Kaduna event where the Kaduna state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Jonathan Kish Adamu, delivered an address on his behalf, Yakowa said extra- judicial killings by the police must stop.
He advised the police to “initiate a reorientation programme which will aim at teaching policemen how to handle weapons, and how to deal with different crime situations without ending up as sheer murderers.
By Fidelis Soriwei and Segun Olatunji Courtesy Of: Punch
The order is coming on the heels of the killing of a woman in Biu, Borno State, by members of the military Joint Task Force, on Wednesday.
Also on Thursday, Kaduna State Governor Patrick Yakowa suggested that policemen should be made to undergo psychiatric and psychological tests twice in a year. Yakowa said the tests had become imperative because of the rising cases of extra-judicial killings by policemen in the country.
The governor spoke at the North-West Zonal Public Tribunal on Police Abuse in Nigeria organised by the National Human Rights Commission and Network on Police Reform in Nigeria.
He said, “The orientation should involve experts in psychology, psychiatry, sociology and other human behavioural sciences. I can go further to suggest that every policeman should be subjected to psychological and psychiatric tests every six months.”
The JTF was deployed in Borno to combat the fundamentalist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, which had claimed responsibility for a string of bombings in the state capital, Maiduguri, and other parts of the state.
However, internal security operations in Borno have been dogged by allegations of extra-judicial killings, beatings and unlawful arrests.
Recently, the Amnesty International issued a report asking the Federal Government to investigate and punish soldiers for the cases of unlawful arrests, killings and disappearances in the state.
While government had quickly set up a fact-finding committee to investigate some of the complaints, it had largely refrained from acknowledging or criticising the conduct of the troops.
However, in what could pass for a rare, mild rebuke of the military operations in the state on Thursday, government, in a statement issued by the Minister of Defence, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, in Abuja acknowledged the excesses and assured that a probe was in the offing.
Mohammed said soldiers were under instructions to only use minimum force when involved in internal security operations, adding that they had also been told to always “be tactful with the civilian population.”
He said though the military was “doing a very good job in the protection of lives and property of Nigerian citizens in various theatres of internal security and peacekeeping operations, a few bad eggs amongst them sometimes over-reacted to situations and created discontent amongst the civilian population.”
He added that those bad eggs were responsible for “dragging the name of the military into disrepute.”
The minister assured that government was making efforts to further professionalised the military, adding that efforts were ongoing to ensure that only “credible persons are recruited to the Armed Forces.”
Mohammed appealed to Nigerians to cooperate with security agencies as they sought to combat the menace of fundamentalism and crime.
“We appeal to all elements that have grudges and complaints against the society or government, especially in the North-East Zone of the country, to come out and present their grievances to the Ambassador Galtimari-led Committee, which has been appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan to look into the security situation in the north eastern part of the country, with a view to restoring normalcy and resolving grievances.
Reports say the woman was shot dead during an operation that led to the arrest of some suspected Boko Haram members, among whom were some Islamic clerics.
The killing reportedly angered the youths of the town who then launched attacks on the security forces. During the violent clashes, a church and the palace of the emir of the town were set ablaze by youths.
Boko Haram, which means “western education is sinful”, has claimed responsibility for bomb attacks targeting police stations and checkpoints, churches and relaxation spots within and outside the state.
Among other demands, the sect wants the strict application of the Islamic legal code, Sharia, applied across Nigeria.
At the Kaduna event where the Kaduna state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Jonathan Kish Adamu, delivered an address on his behalf, Yakowa said extra- judicial killings by the police must stop.
He advised the police to “initiate a reorientation programme which will aim at teaching policemen how to handle weapons, and how to deal with different crime situations without ending up as sheer murderers.
By Fidelis Soriwei and Segun Olatunji Courtesy Of: Punch
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