TY DANJUMA'S COMMENT: ARMED FORCES MUST COME CLEAN- AMRI

DEMANDS IMMEDIATE END TO SENSELESS KILLINGS AND NHRC INVESTIGATION INTO THE ALLEGATION...

The Executive Director of Africa Media Roundtable Initiative (AMRI) Omoluabi Bode Adeyemi wants the security forces to purge itself of any iota of complicity regarding the orgy of bloodshed that has continued unabated across the country especially the North central and parts of North East.

The recent allegation by former Minister of Defence and elderstatedman T.Y Danjuma accusing the military of abetting the killings is not one that should be discarded with a wave of hand especially going by the pedigree of Gen. Danjuma, a retired military general whose source of information in our understanding wields some indispensable credibility. Again, this justifies the alarm raised by Bassa residents in Plateau state accusing the military of giving protection to the herdsmen who audaciously graze on their farms, the same sect being fingered of perpetrating the killings. 

This is regrettable coming at a time when the trust and confidence of our people on the ability of our security forces to protect them has steadily weaned. This totally negates President Buhari's agenda of giving protection to everyone in the country irrespective of their religious, ethnic or political affiliations.

Our Executive Director therefore demands that the National Human Rights Commission investigates the claim that is becoming popular most especially now coming from a credible source. While the open investigation lasts, the Nigerian Armed Forces must review its rules of engagement on the fight against this internal killings and also investigates its men in these states with possible sanction against anyone involved in this unpatriotic business of using our people's lives as a pawn on the chessboard in order to regain the people's confidence.

This must not only be done but must be seen to have been done through the immediate end to the unnecessary bloodshed and killings across the nation. If this is not done and in record time, Nigerians may have no choice than to believe that the military has a hand in the mass murder of our innocent citizens that has lingered unchecked which will obviously bring the integrity and professionalism of the forces to disrepute and public ignominy.

Our nation is more than ever divided along ethnic and religious line which portends danger. The people are currently   miffed and uncontrollably worried by the unabated killings.

ALEX ENEMANNA

DIRECTOR PUBLIC RELATIONS & STRATEGY (AMRI)
MARCH 25, 2018