The Presidential Panel set up to investigate alleged human rights violations by the Nigerian Army, yesterday, held its inaugural sitting in Abuja, with Benue indigenes narrating how soldiers helped rampaging herdsmen to attack their communities.
This came as the chairman of the probe panel, Justice Biobele Georgewill, said the proceeding will provide a unique opportunity to those that have genuine and verifiable cases of human rights abuses by the Armed Forces, in the course of managing and containing local conflicts and insurgencies, to submit their memoranda.

He said the panel will hold a public hearing in each of the six geo-political zones of the country on selected dates and centres.
It will be recalled that the panel, which was constituted by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, while he was the Acting President, was tasked to, among other things, “review compliance of the forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement, especially in the local conflict and insurgency situations.”

Shortly after Justice Georgewill, Chairman of the seven-man panel, declared the sitting open, residents of Moon Valley communities in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State took turns to narrate their experience.
They narrated how about 30,000 persons were sacked by the military from their abode.
Represented by their lawyer, Mr. Mike Utsaha, the community told the panel that while 28 persons were killed in the attack, 91 compounds and property were destroyed.

According to the community, the attack was carried out by the 93 Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Takum, Taraba State.
The community, through an 18-page memorandum submitted to the panel, stated how following intense and sustained attacks from 2013 to 2015, they were massacred and displaced from their ancestral land by the combined team of soldiers and herdsmen.

Witness’ account
In his testimony, the first petitioners’ witness, Mr. Jacob Kwaghkper, who is a retired Deputy Director with the National Commission for Colleges of Education, told the panel that from 2015 to June 2017, five communities that make up the Moon Valley were subjected to intense, sustained and coordinated attacks by soldiers from the 93 Battalion and herdsmen, leading to the death of 28 people.

He told the panel that the herdsmen, with the active support of soldiers, were still occupying ancestral lands of the five communities.
Lamenting before the panel, Kwaghkper said: “The soldiers are even providing security for the herdsmen, who are occupying the ancestral lands of the communities.
“The displaced people of the communities, who escaped from the series of sustained attacks, have become refugees in Cameroon and internally displaced persons, IDPs, taking shelter in various places in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, under the watchful eyes of both the federal and state government without any form of assistance.”
Another witness, Mr. Agbo Utah, told the panel that soldiers watched as herdsmen burnt down his compound.
He also narrated how he was beaten, arrested and detained for a week by soldiers who disrupted local government election held in the area in 1998.

Demands
Aside the narratives, the displaced communities prayed the panel to order immediate restoration of their ancestral lands with adequate compensation.
They further want all places of worship, schools and markets that were destroyed as a result of the attacks by soldiers of the 93 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Takum, Taraba State, and herdsmen, be rebuilt on their original sites.

Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/09/soldiers-helped-herdsmen-attack-us-victims-tell-presidential-probe-panel/

The Presidential Panel set up to investigate alleged human rights violations by the Nigerian Army, yesterday, held its inaugural sitting in Abuja, with Benue indigenes narrating how soldiers helped rampaging herdsmen to attack their communities.

Zoo Soldiers

He told the panel that the herdsmen, with the active support of soldiers, were still occupying ancestral lands of the five communities.
Lamenting before the panel, Kwaghkper said: “The soldiers are even providing security for the herdsmen, who are occupying the ancestral lands of the communities.

Mumu soldiers and went and sent troops to the East because of peaceful Ipob but forgot about the terror there brothers are committing

Wetin dem dey gain? I just tire for everything abt naija o

Oooh 2013 to 2015 was GEJ era pls bring it to Buhari era so we can put the blame on him

In as much I condemned Fulani herdsmen terrorism

The question here is are all the military Fulanis or Hausa's ?

We should be careful of our reporting crises

great.. It will serve as a reminder to the other ones that come here to shout "God bless the Nigerian Army" for killing Igbo protesters.

Their woes just started. It should be extended to the Niger delta region and a bit of the South West.

Those up north are already killing themselves, so they should continue.

God bless the Nigerian Army again for killing those Benue Miscreants!!

sarrki:
In as much I condemned Fulani herdsmen terrorism

The question here is are all the military Fulanis or Hausa's ?

We should be careful of our reporting crises

I am with you on this. God bless the Nigerian Army.

Those Benue guys want to just create trouble.

The Nigerian Army can't do such...

BiafranBushBoy:


I am with you on this. God bless the Nigerian Army.

Those Benue guys want to just create trouble.

The Nigerian Army can't do such...

Thanks boss

sarrki:

Thanks boss

I knew that with your level of education, you wouldn't understand sarcasm..
All the same, you are welcome...
Smiles ...

Am in support of the two posters above me. kill all these stubborn benue farmers.chase them from their ancestral land.
God bless the NA.

BiafranBushBoy:


I knew that with your level of education, you wouldn't understand sarcasm..

All the same, you are welcome...

Smiles ...

All the same Mr educationists thank you

Less I forget

Kanu will be re arrested by 17th September

Remember that date

K

I believe everything this guys said

Sarrki Na Olodo Sha..

Nigerian Terrorist Fraternity

If It Were Biafran Victims You Would Have Seen Them Troop En Masses Despite The Time Of Day Or Night To Sing Praises And Dance Unto Their Foolishness..But Guess What They Have All Fled To Hide Their Faces

Imagine Such Level Of Babarism In A Sane World Where Soldiers Terrorize Citizens And This Thread Is Struggling To Enter Page (1)

The Jungle Is Real...

sarrki:
In as much I condemned Fulani herdsmen terrorism

The question here is are all the military Fulanis or Hausa's ?

We should be careful of our reporting crises

Shut up
.

85% of Nigerian soldiers are TERRORISTS.


Someone is already saying that carefulness should be applied when reporting crises because Fulanis and Hausas are involved,chai there is God oooo

Na today? Zoo army have been colluding with herds men to wreck havoc on poor infidel villagers across the middle belt. They call the relationship One Nigeria.

Godbless my Nigerdelta region

The army can't try this shiit there

BiafranBushBoy:


I knew that with your level of education, you wouldn't understand sarcasm..

All the same, you are welcome...

Smiles ...

I love this......!! U gat no chill.....!! Savage ...and....Raw..

BiafranBushBoy:


I am with you on this. God bless the Nigerian Army.

Those Benue guys want to just create trouble.

The Nigerian Army can't do such...

God has no time to bless blood-sucking and thirsty soldiers who take joy in terrorizing and killing innocent Nigerians

What a country! The herdsmen are given both moral and material support but protesters are shot with live ammunitions. They kill and the President make a defense for them by calling them Libyan herdsmen.

Our leaders are really stupid. They think you can ever have peace through force. These guys kill and El-Rufai tells us he paid them to avoid any further mayhem. You pay murderers and you are not afraid to say it. I'm not surprised.

Our problem is largely a result of Political correctness. People trying to always be neutral when they should take a stand. Affected persons and lovers of humanity trying not to hurt or be tagged hater for saying the truth.

The lives of Fulani Herdsmen(Yes, Fulani Herdsmen not any Libyan nonsense) has the same value with that of other human beings here. No life is more precious than the other. Political correctness will not help us.

Vutseck:


Shut up
.

Mechonu

What a devilish country this is...so pathetic.

This is just the truth, there is underground Jihadist perpetuated by Fulani Usman danfodio

Interesting

There are evidences to show a number of Nigerian Military Officers are sympathetic to the herdsmen, their attack on rural communities in North Central and Southern Nigeria.

These officers, some high rank would in some cases(instances) deliberately delay on their rules of engagement, so the herdsmen would have done their carnage and escape from the affected host community(ies).

This is of importance that communities set up Community vigilante groups, which constitute members of host community.

Nigerian Army,not even Nigerian Police, would provide security. Communities should defend themselves.

Excellent reply! The oaf is just so slow!

BiafranBushBoy:


I knew that with your level of education, you wouldn't understand sarcasm..

All the same, you are welcome...

Smiles ...

We are not ready to make this country work. By we I mean our leaders and their weapons of mind destruction. People are not stupid. They recognise bias when they see them.

We are not interested in peace yet. Take these guys suspected to be BMC on this forum for example. All their posts are filled with hate and we want to fight hate speeches.

What I think they are fighting is simply hate against them and not hatred in general. That is why all the spokespersons for this government dish out hatred but don't expect it in return.

We have soldiers and leaders who are beautifully ignorant. They have been conditioned to believe that their lives and families have more value than the lives of other Nigerians. Sick.

My prayers is that every NIGERIAN ARMY used in killing Benue people shall suffer and will not survive any WAR, they are deployed to..... And anybody who supported them being it on NAIRALAND, ASO VILLA, HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, SENATE, ANY WHERE, will face same thing if they re caught between any riot involving soldiers, even if it didn't concern them. Also applies to their love ones. AMEN..... I M NOT IPOB.

I hope dis is well documented ad forwarded to the international committee to make dem see reasons why nigeria ad its army don't deserve to be sold high tech weaponz.

Not surprised