The Defence Headquarters have absolved the army of any blame, saying the army was not involved in the massacre of over 150 persons in Baga, Borno State.
The Director of Defence Information, Brig.Gen Chris Olukolade, also said on Saturday that no soldier had been arrested in connection with the incident, while he condemned attempts by some persons to blame the Baga killings on soldiers of the Multinational Joint Task Force.
He said it was absurd to blame acts committed by suspected Boko Haram members on troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force sent to keep peace in the area.
Olukolade maintained that the operations of the troops were necessary to provide security and defend the integrity of the country.
“The Defence Headquarters wishes to declare that no soldier has been arrested or detained on account of the incident that happened in Baga last week as reported in certain newspapers on Saturday.
“The report which claimed that 15 soldiers have been arrested in connection with their alleged role in what the medium referred to as ‘Borno Bloodbath’ is indeed false in its entirety.
“At no point did the DHQ or any of the services of the Nigerian Armed Forces order the arrest of any of its soldiers in connection with the incident in Baga.
“It is surprising that the atrocities of Boko Haram terrorists are being desperately blamed on the troops even without any meaningful investigations by those promoting these allegations locally and internationally.
“This tendency is clearly in line with the orchestrated effort by a vested interest, using the press, to whip up public resentment against the necessary military operations in defence and security of the nation.”
He said further that it was the position of the DHQ that human lives were precious during operations and shouldn’t be subjected to “unneccesary sensationalism.”
Over 200 lives were lost, according to a recent count by a Senator, in a clash between gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members and the military in Baga, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, on April 20, 2013.
The Village Head, Mallam Ali, had said 185 were killed, with 2,000 houses, 62 vehicles and 486 motorcycles either burnt or vandalised, but the Presidency said it believed the figures might have been “grossly exaggerated.” Senator Maina Ma’aji Lawan, representing Borno North Senatorial District, however declared that his two-day visit to the border town revealed 228 fresh graves, 4,000 houses leveled.
Authorities of the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, had earlier put the casualty figure at 25
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