Buratai receives Panel Report on Gen Danjuma claims

The Chief of Army Staff, (COAS) Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, yesterday received the report of an army panel set up to investigate the allegations raised by a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Theophilus Danjuma, on the killings between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Taraba State.

Danjuma had alleged that the military was in collusion with herdsmen on an ethnic cleansing mission inTaraba State.

While receiving the six page report at the Army Headquarters in Abuja, Lt Gen Buratai, said the army authorities would make the findings public shortly.

He added that the higher authorities would be consulted for further action.

The COAS had on April 9 set up the panel, headed by Maj Gen John Nimyel (Rtd), to investigate the claims by Danjuma and other interest groups in Taraba State, noting that statements from persons like Danjuma “could damage the reputation of the military and could therefore not be ignored.”

Speaking at the presentation on Wednesday, the panel Chairman, Nimyel, said the report was “painstakingly thorough”, as the panel conducted its investigations and held numerous consultations with stakeholders in several parts of Taraba State with an open mind.

Buratai however said the reports would help the army to identify the loopholes in the operations and rectify them to address the present challenges.

“We will take every aspect of this report very seriously; we will make this report available to the appropriate superior authorities.

“We will also make this report available to the media so that they will see clearly what transpired and to see whether the allegations against the military, particularly the Nigerian Army, are grounded or not, if the allegations are true or not,”Lt Gen Buratai said.

The army chief also received the report of the panel set up to audit the number of arms and weapons in the possession of the army units and formations, saying that there were concerns over the proliferation of arms and light weapons not only in Nigeria but also across the country’s borders.

“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,” Buratai added.

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