By Laide Akinboade, Abuja 

A Coalition of 15  non-governmental organisations working for peace and national unity in Northern Nigeria has warned the public against actions capable of demoralising the troops of the Nigerian Army working to restore peace in the country.

The coalition mainly picked holes in the allegation against troops of the Nigerian Army following the discovery of 11 bodies in Kaduna forest believed to be those of some Fulani natives.

The coalition, led by an international peace advocacy group, Global Peace and Life Rescue Initiative (GOPRI), reacting in a statement following an on-the-spot visit and assessment of the crime scene as well as the Fulani Community in Kaduna, appealed to the Fulani community, particularly the deceased family to remain calm and law-abiding, pledging that they would get justice in the gruesome killing of their relative by yet-to-be-identified assailants.

The group, which exonerated the Nigerian Army, passed a vote of confidence in the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Major General V.O Okoro, and the troops, saying they had worked to the delight of peace advocates in the regions.

The coalition’s statement was signed by the leader of the Group and the Executive Director of the Global Peace and Life Rescue Initiative (GOPRI), Amb. Melvin Ejeh; Dr Ibrahim Modibo, Convener of Conference of  Fulbe Awake Forum Africa (FUAFOA; Dr Hamza Uba  Sani,  Northern Nigeria Human Rights Initiative(NONIHUR) and Hajiya Zainab Mohammed, president  Women In Peace Building and Good Governance Forum

( WOIPBAG).

The 15 CSOs said the statements by some groups alleging complicity of troops in the unfortunate killings of the Fulani natives were unsavoury, just as it commended the General officer Commanding GOC 1 Division Nigerian Army Kaduna, Major General VO Okoro, and his men over their professionalism and dogged commitment to fighting banditry and other forms of criminality within their area of responsibility.

The coalition said from its fact-finding visit to Tilde Fulani in Laduga grazing reserve in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where they received a formal complaint from Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) Kaduna State Chapter, there was no evidence yet to link troops to the dastardly act.

To this end, it appealed to the Fulani Community to remain calm, pledging its unwavering commitment to assist them in getting justice over the act.

It called on some faceless groups planning to catch in on the development by planning unnecessary protests in some parts of the country to desist, describing them as merchants of crisis.

The group said its position was informed by a visit and assessment of the crisis area to provide independent findings into the alleged extra Judicial killings of 11 Fulani natives allegedly by some soldiers of the Nigerian Army from 1 Division  Kaduna. 

The statement read in parts: “Leader of the Group and the Executive Director of GOPRI, Amb. Melvin Ejeh and his team, who were received by the Village Head of Tilde Fulani in Laduga, Alhaji Mohamadu Yusuf and some of the victim’s relatives, Mallam Adamu Idris,  Abubakar Mohammed,  Suleiman Abdullahi, took the team around the community and the scenes where the corpses were recovered. They later proceeded to a stakeholders’ meeting where he addressed them.

“Amb. Melvin Ejeh, in his words, deeply condoled the families of the deceased and prayed for the repose of their souls. He went on to inform the victims’ families and community that they were in the community sequel to a former complaint written to them by MACBAN to carry out independent findings into the alleged killing of 11 innocent Fulani boys without any justification. He assured them that justice would be done to all the parties,  no stone will be left unturned during this fact-finding, and the report would be submitted to relevant human rights and law enforcement agencies locally and internationally.

“He, however, advised the victim’s families and members of the community not to allow themselves to be used by some desperate politicians or crisis merchants who may want to cash in on this unfortunate situation to defame the hard-earned reputation of our gallant Nigeria Army who are making uncommon sacrifices to keep us safe, while the investigation is still on.

 “We all know the excellent work the GOC and his officers and men are doing in the fight against banditry in this general area and other places. We can’t afford to demoralise the troops with allegations that are yet to be proven.”

Speaking further to the community, Amb. Ejeh said: “Some of the people coming here to instigate you against the Nigerian Army are doing that just to earn their living and satisfy their parochial interests. In fact, some of them are criminals and sponsors of banditry who may want to use this opportunity to weaken the morale of our gallant troops because of the Army’s hard stands on criminality. We should not allow that; the Army is ours, and we must own it.

“We call on crisis merchants and unpatriotic elements who are stuck in trade to blackmail the  Armed forces into refraining forthwith as any attempts by them to do so will be resisted point by point. 

“We received intelligence that some desperate and sponsored element are planning a so-called world conference against the Nigeria Military for the alleged killing of 11 Fulani natives in Kaduna; we want to make it clear to them that we will not hesitate to reply  them points by points based on facts on the ground. We urge them to visit the community and find facts instead of constituting themselves as  agents of falsehood against the national Army; 

The statement said while responding on behalf of the community, the Village Head of Tilde Fulani, Alh. Mohammed Yusuf “thanked the team and assured them that he would refrain from any further engagement with strangers and media not to jeopardise the various investigations going on. “

“All we want is justice, and we’ are confident that justice will prevail in the end,” he said.