Nigerian military, NEMA submit contradictory reports to Jonathan on Baga casualty





The content of the interim reports were disclosed by Reuben Abati.
Nigeria’s aid agency and the Nigerian military on Tuesday submitted two contradictory reports to President Goodluck on the civilian casualty in Baga, Borno State, a statement by presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, showed.
About 200 people were feared killed two weeks ago during a clash between insurgents and security officials in Baga, a border town near to Lake Chad.
Mr. Abati, in a statement sent to journalists on Tuesday evening, said President Jonathan commended the two government organs for their submitted interim reports.
The Nigeria Defence Headquarters, DHQ, in its report insisted on its earlier claims that after its top officials visited Baga, it found out that only six civilians were killed. It also claimed that the bodies were probably not burnt in the inferno, but ‘recovered in Lake Chad.’
“That whereas it was alleged that 185 people were killed by the soldiers of the MNJTF (Multi-National Joint Task Force) in Baga, Borno state; the assessment team received a briefing from the Commander of the MNJTF on April 24, 2013, during which he stated that 30 terrorists were killed in action. However, six bodies were recovered in Lake Chad about 3 km away from the action spot,” Mr. Abati quoted the DHQ as saying, adding that the incident happened on April 16 and not April 19 as reported.
The military also denied reports of mass graves claiming that it did not see any and neither the locals in Baga, nor the chairman of Kukawa Local Government could confirm the existence of such.
While the Nigerian military could not see any graves, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, said in its report, according to Mr. Abati, that it saw 32 fresh graves in two graveyards, implying that at least 32 people were buried after the incident.
“The NEMA team visited the two graveyards in the town, and could only identify in both places, a total of 32 fresh graves,” Mr. Abati quotes the agency as saying; although it could not confirm the number of corpses buried in each grave.
Both agencies also admitted the burning of several buildings although they claimed in their reports that the number was fewer than the 2,000 reported.
“The media also announced that about 3, 000 houses were burnt. However on the spot assessment revealed that though some houses were burnt, but they were certainly not up to the number quoted.
“It is pertinent to note that the houses in question are mostly thatched roof houses that could easily catch fire. It is on record that the terrorists employ the tactics of arson wherever they attack,” the Nigerian Army stated implying that the fire was caused by the insurgents contrary to the claims of the residents of Baga.
NEMA also said in its report to the president that “a number of buildings and business premises were destroyed in the affected area, but the total number of houses in the town is far less than 1,000.”
The contents of the two reports differs from the statements of residents of the community and a Nigerian Senator representing the area.
Residents of the community had told the Borno State Governor and journalists that visited the area that they buried 185 people days after the incident, while about two thousand houses, most that-roof buildings, were destroyed.
The Senator representing Borno North in the Nigerian Senate, Maina Lawan, after spending two days in Baga said 220 people were eventually buried after the incident and about 4,000 households displaced by the fire.
“At one of the three graveyards called Makabartar Waya, 130 graves of victims were counted; in another graveyard called Makabartar Arewa, 60 graves were counted; then in Budumari graveyard another 30 graves of victims were counted. And inside the town, the aid agencies said they buried eight corpses which could not be evacuated to the graveyards,” Mr. Lawan said.
The Nigeria Human Rights Agency has pledged to carry out an independent review of the incident, a move which has been commended by Mr. Jonathan.




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