By Philip Nwosu
The Nigerian Army has constituted a military Board of Inquiry to probe activities of some soldiers who allegedly attacked and brutalised residents of Makoko, a Lagos community.
The Board of Inquiry set up by the General Officer Commanding 81 Division of Nigerian Army Major General Henry Edet would investigate the incident and recommend appropriate punishment for the soldiers.
Policemen attached to Yaba Police Division had arrested two of the 16 soldiers that invaded the community, whose identity were given as Privates Ihama Osaretin and Okpor Ray.
Addressing journalists in Lagos yesterday, General Edet said the army would go after other soldiers who participated in the attack.
The GOC, who spoke through the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, (DAPR), Lieutenant Commander, Kingsley Samuel, said the board of inquiry will sit for three weeks within which it is expected to also find out, among other things, whether the soldiers were on official duty in the area.
General Edet who said the alleged incident was a highly regrettable one, added that it was particularly worrisome now that the division, in conjunction with other security agencies, with full cooperation of the civil populace were consolidating on the gains of successfully dislodging pipeline vandals and criminal elements in Ibafo and Arepo areas of Lagos and Ogun States.
Kaduna killings: El-Rufai holds security meeting in trouble zone
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Determined to address the recent killings in Southern Kaduna, of Kaduna State, Governor Nasir El-Rufai, on Tuesday, chaired a meeting of the State Security Council in Kafanchan, headquarters of Jema’a Local Government Area.
The meeting followed an assessment tour of the affected locations in Jema’a and Sanga Local Government Areas of the state.
The Security Council consists of the Deputy Governor, GOC 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, State Director of DSS, Air Officer Commanding, Nigerian Air Force Training Command Kaduna, Commander of Nigerian Navy School of Armament Technology, heads of Civil Defence Corps, NDLEA, Customs, Immigration, FRSC and Chairman, Kaduna State Council of Emirs and Chiefs, HRH Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris.
The Governor and the security chiefs visited Ninte in Jema’a local government and Angwan Mada in Sanga local government, before he later presided over the 28th Security Council meeting in Kafanchan.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the meeting held behind closed-doors, the Governor said: “We came here for practical assessment of the situation, and to condole with the victims. Members of the state Security Council have met here, in a determined bid to stop the attacks and killings. Actions to apprehend the perpetrators will continue, along with other peace-building moves that government has been engaged in.”