Army/Villagers Shootout: Niger Commission Of Inquiry Winds Up Public Hearing

Chief of Army Staff, Maj-Gen. T.Y. Buratai
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Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello
Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello

From Saka Bolaji, Minna

The Justice Mohammed Mohammed Commission of Inquiry looking into the remote cause and recommend on the clash between the military and some communities in Bosso local government of Niger state has ruled that it wanted to have evidence of the two soldiers before writing its report for government.
Chairman of the Commission gave the ruling on Friday in Minna at the final public sitting, noting that the evidence of the two soldiers yet to appear as witnesses could help in its final recommendation to the government hence it declared the public sitting closed tentatively.
According to Justice Mohammed, “I have carefully listen to all your submissions and will like to listen to the two soldiers either in public or private before we submit our report to the Niger state government but due to circumstances, I declare the sitting closed tentatively” he said.
He informed that the Commission will be willing to have the evidences of the two military men – Captain Odey and Private Samuel Viwapono , who was said to be seriously injured to appear either in camera or public before its submission of report to the appropriate authority.
Earlier in his remarks, the military lawyer, Lt Col. Michael Ede Ellon, a deputy director of legal services in the Nigerian Army, told the Commission that Captain Odey was writing his promotional examination which he will finish on 28th October, 2016 and can appear in the first week of November 2016. However, Ellon said Captain Odey may not say anything different from other military witnesses.
He added that Viwapono was unavoidably absence due to serious injury he sustained from the villagers’ attack and that had been flown to a hospital in Egypt by the military authority for proper medical attention.
The commission’s lawyer, Yunusa Ustaz Usman (SAN ) appreciated the patience of the panel but insisted that the two witnesses should appear as their words might be very good material to the Commission while the military lawyer should provide adequate address of the hospital the injured soldier is being treated treatment.
The Commission of Inquiry set up by the Niger state government to look into the remote causes of the bloody clash between the military and some communities in Bosso local government area of the state when the state police command openly faulted the reasons given by men of the Nigerian Army for the invasion of these communities.
During the invasion last month not less than 24 people, 11 of them soldiers, were killed while several others were injured and property valued at millions of naira destroyed.
The Niger state government set up the panel of Inquiry to look into the remote and immediate causes of the disturbance and make recommendations to it on how to forestall future occurrence.
The Army had earlier blamed the “cordon and search” carried out on the communities on stockpiling of arms and ammunitions by the villagers.


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