The Nigerian Army has issued a rebuttal to claims by Amnesty International that Boko Haram killed 60 civilians in an attack on Rann on January 28, 2019.
This was contained in a statement by the Deputy Director of Public Relations, Theatre Command, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Onyema Nwachukwu who revealed that an extensive search was conducted in the area but no dead bodies were found.
The statement was made available on the Twitter page of the Nigerian Army.
The Army maintained that the attack AI referred to, actually happened on January 14, 2019.
Excerpts of the statement read: “The attention of the Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE has been drawn to recent claims by Amnesty International (AI) that troops’ abandonment of their deployment led to the killing of 60 civilians in Rann on 28 January 2018.
“Undoubtedly, it is disheartening that the situation of Internally Displaced Persons( IDPs) who are already traumatized having been displaced from their ancestral homes by insurgency is being further aggravated by recent callous Boko Haram attack on the IDP community.”
The attention of the Theatre Comd Op LAFIYA DOLE has been drawn to recent claims by Amnesty International that troops' abandoned their deployment led to the killing of 60 civilians in Rann on 28 Jan 2018. https://t.co/aM0KMLy0qJ pic.twitter.com/8ri0h41XDU
— Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) February 2, 2019
“However, it is most unacceptable and unfair for AI to make such outlandish and unverified claims that troops abandoned their deployment a day before Boko Haram attack on the location, thereby exposing the IDPs to a deadly attack.
“This claim is not only bereft of truth, but in its usual mannerism, another futile effort by AI to portray the Nigerian military as incapable, as well as project the Nigerian government as not protective of her people in the eyes of the global community.
“It is therefore inevitable to address this misinformation being peddled and fed the public, from AI’s obviously uninformed report.”
However, it is most unacceptable and unfair for AI to make such outlandish and unverified claims that troops abandoned their deployment a day before BH attack on the location, thereby exposing the IDPs to a deadly attack
— Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) February 2, 2019
The Nigerian Army further debunked reports by AI that the troops abandoned their position which led to the bombardment of the region by Boko Haram.
It seeks to counter “contrary to insinuations by AI that troops abandoned their deployment a day before Boko Haram astorgous attack on Rann on 28 January 2019, Rann never actually came under any attack on the date claimed by AI.”
The Nigerian Army faulted AI for not carrying out a proper investigation, just as it restated its commitment to winning the fight against the insurgency.
“Contrary to AI’s claims, at no point of the assessment, was any report of the killing of 60 civilians made either by the civilians themselves, whom the Sector Commander interacted with or by the members of the Joint Task Force who were at hand during the assessment.
“Again a Search and Rescue Operation that followed after the attack did not recover the said 60 bodies of killed civilians as AI would want members of the public to believe.
“The troops commenced a clearance operation in villages surrounding Rann and destroyed Boko Haram terrorists camps that were uncovered during the operation.”
