A pressure group, the Middle Belt Conscience Guard (MBCG) has commended the report recently released by the Army board of enquiry set up to look into the allegation by of Theophilus Danjuma’s of soldiers collusion with armed militia in Taraba State.
The group said report of the panel which exonerated the Army is in tandem with the widely held position of many other groups who carried out independent assessment of the situation.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, national coordinator of MBCG, Raymond Enero said to this end, TY Danjuma should immediately re-secure his reputation by a remorseful retraction of the statements, with an apology to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Nigerian Army and the good people of Nigeria over his unjustifiable utterances.
According to him it is clear that the cause of the vilification of the Nigerian Army and the attempt to taint its reputation by some stakeholders in Taraba state stemmed from the refusal of the Commanding Officer 93 Battalion, Gambari, to be dragged into the complex political and ethnic mix in the state by some powerful politicians, in apparent abuse and violation of his professional duties or code of ethical conduct.
“It is our firm conviction that all stakeholders in Taraba State should be cautioned against making inflammatory statements, which have the potency to undermine, jeopardize or scuttle the efforts at peace and security to bring the communal clashes to a halt, with the intervention of the Army.”
Enero said the The Probe Panel was manned by credible serving and retired Army officers; representatives of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and scores of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).
He said further, “the Probe Panel did a wonderful and commendable job, as evidenced by its detailed findings, recommendations and the verdict extricating the Nigerian Army of any complicity, whether in whole or in part on any of the allegations raised by Gen. Danjuma or cohorts.
“The Panel’s report eloquently and articulately opined that there was no collusion with armed bandits by the Nigerian Army or any of its units operating in Taraba state, within the period covered by the allegations, as claimed by Danjuma.
“This is in tandem with the widely held position of many other groups who carried out independent assessment of the situation.”
The Advocate reports that the 10-Man Special Military Probe Panel constituted by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Tukur Buratai was inaugurated on April 9, 2018, specifically to investigate and establish the veracity or otherwise of the allegations by the elder statesman against the Nigerian Army.
