Military Panel on Taraba Killings Submits Report

• Buratai to make report public

Paul Obi in Abuja

The panel set up by the Nigerian Army to investigate the brutal killings in Taraba State and the alleged connivance by the military, particularly the army, wednesday submitted its report.

Also, the panel on assessment of arms and ammunition in military formations and unit submitted its report.
Submitting the report, Chairman of the committee, Major General John Nimmyel, stated that “the panel painstakingly and thoroughly carried it out.”

He observed that the panel was able to reach out to all the stakeholders in order to ensure that the outcome was encompassing.
Receiving the report, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai, stated that the panel’s report into the Taraba crisis would be released to the public in no time for the public to judge, insisting that nothing would be left unturned.

Reminding that the Nigerian Army under his leadership was highly worried at the allegations levelled against the service in its handling of the Taraba crisis, a development he explained, informed the inauguration of the panel.

Buratai added that after releasing the report of the panel to superior authorities, he would do same to the public through the media.
“I want to say that the report will be thoroughly studied and findings released to the public and the media.
“You will agree with me that the committee has done justice to the assignment. We will do our best to safeguard our arms and other vital weapons.

“Arms verification is not simple as people think it is, however, we will pay special attention to it especially at this period where there’s proliferation of arms and light weapons not just in our country but also across our borders.
‘”This this verification will assist us to identify if there’s any gaps or loopholes so that we can address the issues immediately.
“We will do our best to preserve our arms and other vital weapons so that they don’t get into wrong hands,” he said.

The committee was set up following allegation by a former Minister of Defence and Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), that the military is conniving with killer herdsmen to perpetuate heinous crimes against Taraba State indigenes.
Danjuma also charged the state indigenes to defend themselves against killer herdsmen or perish.

It was based on the above allegations that the committees were set up on March 19 and April 9 respectively by the army chief.