More than 10 senior Nigerian Army officers, including a Brigadier-General have been arrested and are telling the military hierarchy what they know about the Baga attack by the insurgent group, Boko Haram.
According to the Director of Defence Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, the senior army officers are being investigated for allegedly shirking their responsibilities during the attack by the militants.
Those arrested are Brigadier-General Enitan Ransome-Kuti, his Chief of Staff Lt. Colonel G.A Suru.
Others are the Commanding Officer of 134 and 174 battalions, Lt. Colonel Haruna and a certain Major aliyu.
The two Nigerian Army battalions are under the Multi-National Task Joint Task Force in Baga, attacked by the insurgents.
Speaking on the arrest, General Olukolade said that the arrested officers were being investigated because at the time of the attack on the multinational headquarters in Baga, Brigadier-General Ransome-Kuti and his men were fully in charge of the military formation.
He said it was disappointing that the attack on Baga was not repelled by both battalions, despite having the necessary weapons to carry out the necessary operations.
On January 3, 2015, suspected members of Boko Haram attacked the base of the Multinational Task Force in Baga, Borno State, dislodging the soldiers there.
Reports say the troops were warned to be on alert following intelligence reports that terrorists would strike between January 22 and January 25.
Eyewitnesses said that the attack started around 5am when residents started hearing gunshots as the insurgents tried to gain entrance into the MNJTF premises.
Many civilians living in the barracks were said to have been killed during the attack.
NewsWireNGR recalls that, Amnesty International had reported that the Nigerian military were repeatedly warned of impending Boko Haram attacks on Baga and Monguno which claimed hundreds of lives, and failed to take adequate action to protect civilians, said Amnesty International.
According to a senior military source and other evidence gathered by Amnesty International, commanders at the military base in Baga regularly informed military headquarters in November and December 2014 of the threat of a Boko Haram attack and repeatedly requested reinforcements. Other military sources and witnesses have told Amnesty International that the military in Monguno had an advanced warning of the Boko Haram attack on 25 January.
New evidence shows that the Nigerian military were repeatedly warned of impending Boko Haram attacks on Baga and Monguno which claimed hundreds of lives, and failed to take adequate action to protect civilians, said Amnesty International.
According to a senior military source and other evidence gathered by Amnesty International, commanders at the military base in Baga regularly informed military headquarters in November and December 2014 of the threat of a Boko Haram attack and repeatedly requested reinforcements. Other military sources and witnesses have told Amnesty International that the military in Monguno had an advanced warning of the Boko Haram attack on 25 January.
