Five Joint Task Force members in Maiduguri to face trial

 

Five military officers in the Joint Task Force on Operation Restore Order in Maiduguri are to be tried for misconduct, the chief of defence staff (CDS), Oluseyin Petinrin, has said.

Mr Petinrin made the disclosure in Maiduguri on Wednesday while speaking with journalists after an official visit.

“The Defence Headquarters does not take the issue of misconduct lightly when it comes to any serving officer because we abide by rules of engagements in all our operations.

“In line with this, the commander of the JTF has initiated the process of trial of five officers suspected to have committed acts of misconduct while carrying out operations in Maiduguri,” he said.

Mr Petinrin, who was reacting to allegations of excesses by members of the task force, said the military authority was doing everything possible to address lapses in the operations.

“Any officer found to have gone against our rules of engagement will be brought to book,” he said.

Mr Petinrin faulted calls for the withdrawal of soldiers from the streets of Maiduguri by some groups, saying it was self-centred.

The CDS said the military personnel sent to Maiduguri would not leave until the federal government achieves its target of restoring peace in Borno.

“In fact while the people are calling for the withdrawal I am busy strengthening the JTF to make it easy for us to attain our goal of securing peace,” he said.

Mr Petinrin added that those calling for the soldiers’ withdrawal were rich men and individuals who resided in the GRA where there were no attacks since the crisis began.

“The people in the GRA can afford to call for the withdrawal of soldiers because no bomb explosion had been recorded in the area.

“But the people living in densely populated areas have been cooperating with the JTF because they have seen lots of security improvements since our men took over.”

Crime new in Nigeria

Mr Petirin noted that the Maiduguri operation has been difficult because the issue of terrorism was strange in the country.

“The issue of terrorism is new in Nigeria and when things are new it takes time for people to get to the bottom.

“Now we are gradually getting to its root and soon we will get over it and pull our soldiers back to their base,” he said.

Mr Petinrin, who noted that the JTF operation in the state was targeted only at uprooting the Boko Haram militants, said the military was not executing a religious war.

“Let me state clearly that the government did not send us here to deal with any religious or tribal group.

“We are here to stamp out those shooting people and throwing explosives in market places. We are not here to fight a religious war.” Mr Petinrin said that his visit was to get a first class information on the JTF operation as well as its numerous challenges.