FG: Jonathan Bought Substandard Weapons…
AI condemns reinstatement of general implicated in mass murder in Borno Another blast averted in Maiduguri, 65 confirmed dead in Dalori Buhari leaves for France, UK for talks on terrorism
As the federal government continues with its audit of the military hardware procured by the past administration for the war against Boko Haram, it has declared that whatever weapons were procured by the Goodluck Jonathan administration were substandard and could not have been responsible for the string of successes recorded by the military in recent months.
In a statement issued in Abeokuta yesterday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, described as unfortunate and unsubstantiated the statement credited to former President Jonathan attributing the recent successes in the war to the weapons allegedly bought by his administration that were delivered after he had left office.
He said the present administration has a duty to set the records straight, especially because the issues raised by the former president were of public interest and border on national security.
“The weapons, munitions and equipment which the former president said he bought were refurbished and lacked the basic components and spare parts.
“Additionally, the ammunition bought for both high calibre and small weapons have mostly expired, were incompatible with weapons and grossly inadequate.
“It is pertinent to state that the ammunition he was referring to were back loaded because they explode within the barrel when fired, thus leading to deaths and injuries among soldiers,” Mohammed said.
He explained that the troops also lacked the much-needed lift and operational vehicles and other equipment required for the effective prosecution of the war, until the present administration ameliorated the situation.
“The situation was so pathetic that soldiers were often transported in Civilian JTF vehicles, civilian vehicles, trailers and water tankers when going to the theatre of operation.
“The revelations on the sorry state of things in the past, which have emanated from the investigative panel so far, point clearly to the kind of legacy bequeathed to this administration by the past government.
“That explains why troops remained largely static and were unable to effectively deploy to completely rout the Boko Haram terrorists in all their known enclaves.
“The high level of casualties sustained by our gallant soldiers was most unprecedented and cannot be compared to any known military operation in recent times, all because of the terrible state of affairs suffered by the military under the Jonathan administration,” the minister said.
He said because the former president could not understand how credible and dedicated leadership could impact positively on the morale and performance of troops, he had chosen to denigrate the system for the unprecedented feat that was achieved within the first six months of the Buhari administration – “something that he could not achieve in all of six years!”
“It is also clear, as has been shown so far by the outcome of the panel probing past arms deals, that the purchase of substandard weapons apparently resulted from the massive corruption that enveloped the deals, the kind of horrifying graft that saw the purchase of refurbished choppers that lacked rotors, or fighter jets that could not be deployed to the theatre of war because they were not up to par.
“The needless loss of lives of many of our gallant troops, resulting from the lack of standard weaponry and low morale in the past, is not a matter to be trivialised under any circumstance,” he added.
But as the minister took a swipe at the former president over the quality of weapons procured by his government, Amnesty International (AI) yesterday condemned the present administration over the reinstatement of Major-General Ahmadu Mohammed, a former commander of the 7 Division in Maiduguri, Borno State, who was implicated by the London-based rights group for mass murder in the North-east.
Amnesty said in a statement that his reinstatement underlined the government’s “monumental failure” to stamp out impunity for war crimes.
The rights group last year called for an investigation of nine senior commanders including Gen. Mohammed for possible criminal responsibility for war crimes including the deaths of more than 8,000 detainees since 2011, reported the Associated Press (AP).
General Mohammed was commanding officer when soldiers killed around 640 unarmed detainees after Boko Haram extremists attacked Giwa barracks in Maiduguri, according to Amnesty.
Buhari in June promised to investigate the allegations and deal with all alleged abuses by the military, but nothing has been done.
General Mohammed was the commander of the war theatre when Boko Haram took control of a large swath of Nigeria's North-east where the extremists declared an Islamic caliphate, and when the insurgents kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok town.
Dozens escaped on their own as the army failed to send a rescue mission. More than 200 girls remain missing.
General Mohammed was retired in 2014 after a mutiny by soldiers who shot at his vehicle and accused him of knowingly leading them into a Boko Haram ambush around Chibok in May 2014. More than 70 soldiers were killed in the ambush.
However, he was quietly reinstated last month by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, according to the military at his own request, while the soldiers who mutinied were handed various sentences by a general court martial.
“Young men and boys, rounded up by the military, were either shot, starved, suffocated or tortured to death and no one has yet been held to account,” Amnesty International said in a statement.
“It is unthinkable that MajorGeneral Mohammed could resume command of troops before an investigation has even begun.”
His reinstatement “makes mockery of commitments to end war crimes” and “underlines the monumental failure of the government to stamp out impunity for war crimes at the highest level”.
Meanwhile, the Borno Police Command announced yesterday that it had demobilised materials suspected to be improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted near the office of the Borno State Pilgrims Welfare Board in Maiduguri, the state capital.
The Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr. Victor Isuku, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri.
He said that the IEDs, which were planted by people suspected to be members of the Boko Haram terror group, were demobilised by a joint security team.
“I can confirm that it was a joint police/military operation that demobilised the IEDs, but thank God no life was lost or injuries recorded,” Isuku said.
This is just as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday denied the reported suicide attack on one of its camp in Maiduguri on Saturday.
Speaking to journalists, the Zonal Coordinator, North-East of the agency, Alhaji Mohammed Kanar, said the bomb explosion was near the Dalori internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) camp and not inside the heavily-populated camp.
According to him, some people fleeing from Dalori village, some metres away wanted to gain entry into the camp, when the village came under massive attack by Boko Haram terrorists, but since it was after 6 pm they were not allowed to enter in line with the camp’s rules.
He said they decided to take refuge under some trees and some moments later a blast was heard, killing some of them, adding that a suicide bomber might have infiltrated the gathering of fleeing villagers.
On the number of casualties from the Dalori attack, Kanar confirmed 65 persons had so far died from the unfortunate incident, while 136 persons were injured.
He disclosed that emergency workers had to work all through the night on Saturday to evacuate the corpses and to assist the injured to hospitals.
Kanar said normalcy had returned to the area, as those that fled in the wake of the attack had returned home.
He noted that NEMA had deployed needed materials to the attacked community to begin its rehabilitation.
But in furtherance of his government’s quest to end the Boko Haram insurgency, Buhari will today depart for an official visit to France and Britain where he will hold talks with leaders of both countries on the assistance they can render in the war against the insurgency.
A statement issued in Abuja yesterday by his media aide, Mr Femi Adesina, said Buhari would stop in Strasbourg, France, tomorrow where he would address a special session of the European Union Parliament to be attended by members of the executive and legislative arms of the European Union.
Adesina said the president’s address is expected to focus on terrorism, violent extremism, corruption, Nigeria and Africa’s current security, economic and developmental challenges, as well as the need for greater support from the European Union and advanced nations for their rapid resolution.
The statement said: “Buhari will also hold talks with the President of the European Parliament, Mr. Martin Schulz and the President of the European Commission, Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker on the same issues before leaving Strasbourg for London to join other world leaders at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference scheduled to open in the British capital on Thursday.
“The president will use the opportunity of his participation in the conference, which is being co-hosted by Britain, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations, to continue his push for more global understanding, collaboration and support for Nigeria and other countries in the frontlines of the war against terrorism that are striving to overcome its very adverse effects on affected populations.”
The statement said Buhari would return to Nigeria at the weekend.