The Nigerian army on Thursday backed the fiercely
contested claim by the State Security Service, SSS, that soldier and other operatives
who fired and killed at least seven squatters in an unfinished building in Apo,
Abuja, last Friday, were first shot at, by the men they claim were members of
the extremist sect, Boko Haram.
Army Chief, Azubuike Ihejirika, told a House of
Representatives committee that soldiers merely returned fire after coming under
attack, a claim that has been roundly rejected by witnesses and survivors of
the attack, and residents of the area.
The House committee on Public Safety and National
Security opened an investigation into the killing on Thursday, ahead of a
separate probe planned by the Senate.
The men, many of them artisans, operators of Keke
tricycle, and hawkers, were killed in an early Friday morning raid on the
building near a sprawling quarter where members of the National Assembly live.
The SSS had earlier claimed that the joint operation
with the Army followed a tipoff that cache of arms was buried in the building,
and security personnel sought to “dig” them out.
The service claimed security personnel arrived the
building under a hail of bullets from the men they succeeded in killing. Its
first statement after the attack did not admit that operation ended in
bloodshed.
But several witnesses, survivors and residents of the
area have long contested those claims in interviews with PREMIUM TIMES, accusing
the military personnel of executing unarmed and innocent men.
Worse, the SSS and the army have yet to produce the
weapons recovered from the building. Security sources told PREMIUM TIMES there had
been plans to plant weapons in the building; a plan that was put paid to after
the report was published.
Lawmakers have warned that regardless of the men’s
membership of the violent sect, they should have been arrested and prosecuted,
and not killed in a manner many believe was an extrajudicial murder of innocent
people.
“We could not sleep that night and we were even
scared to come out the following morning. It is not acceptable for the SSS to
shoot people whether they are Boko Haram or Keke NAPEP (tricycle) operators.
They should first be arrested and investigated,” said Clever Ikisikpo
(PDP-Bayelsa), whose block in Zone E of the Legislators Quarters is about 100m
from the scene of the incident.
The army has faced several allegations of killing
innocent people and deploying scorched-earth tactics in its pursuit of the Boko
Haram fighters.
Thursday’s hearing at the House of Reps was conducted
behind closed doors, and the senate has made clear it would also carry out a
secret hearing.
Mr. Ihejirika told journalists after the meeting that
the operation was a success as it pre-empted attack in parts of Abuja. He also affirmed
earlier position that the security men were first attacked by the suspects
before they were shot dead.
“I appeared before the House Committee on Public
Safety and National Security on the joint operation conducted by the
Directorate of State Security Services and a unit of the Nigeria Army,” he told
reporters.
“We briefed them and informed them of the mission
which was to recover arms and weapons and make arrests. We also briefed them on
the fact that on approach to the area, the security men were fired at and they
had to return fire and also make arrests.”
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala
Mohammed, said he was not informed about the operation as the Chief Security
Officer of the city. He however said he took responsibility for it.
He said there was no decision yet to demolish the
building as the outcome of the investigation should be awaited. He however said
buildings that were not developed within stipulated time will no longer be
tolerated within the city.
“We will ensure that all buildings that have exceeded
the two-year period, approved for building, are demolished. If we cannot
demolish, we will make it a police post. This time around, we will take a
definite action,” he said.
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