By Haruna Salami
The chairman Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume has roundly condemned those criticising the Nigerian Military fighting banditry over human rights violations.
According to him “we are facing serious problem of banditry in this country and it affects all of us”.
Unfortunately, when the Army stands to the occasion or start taking the fight to the bandits and achieving results, the next you begin to hear people talking about human rights, mass killing and all that. What do you want the Military to do? Not to fight? Not to have casualties in the course of the fight?
He recalled how these people have made life miserable for people in the North West” adding “to me, if you can identify the bandits that have been killing people recklessly, you don’t have to waste time killing them. Then you start talking about human rights. Which right? What of the right of the people that were killed, small children, women raped by these people?
“They ambushed and blow up our soldiers with explosive devices, but when the Nigerian Army stands up to them, you start asking me question about their human rights. This is very unfortunate, I must say.
The Senator who represents Borno South expressed satisfaction with the current surrendering of Boko Haram members as “law and due process are being followed by the government”.
“Boko Haram, up till now, are surrendering in droves. There is a laid down procedure that the government is adopting and there are national and international laws guiding such situation.
To him the issue of victims is the major concern because the victims of Boko Haram all over the country and even outside the country in Niger, Chad and Cameroun.
He said the government is making deliberate efforts to ensure these refugees are returned home, resettled and rehabilitated.
