At least one person has been confirmed dead and many others injured
after Nigerian soldiers attacked officials of the COVID-19 Committee in
Borno State.
The soldiers, disregarding ongoing interstate
travel ban, forced their way through the entrance gate to Borno and
allowed hundreds of illegal travelers into the town.
The armed
personnel, who arrived in three gun trucks, allegedly threatened to open
fire on the COVID-19 Committee members led by the state attorney
general and a commissioner of health.
While breaking
through the barricade, the soldiers rammed through a patrol truck of the
State Rapid Response Squad which forced the vehicle somersaulting in
the bush. All local security personnel in the vehicle sustained
injuries.
The driver of the RRS truck died hours later at the Borno Specialist Hospital.
The
soldiers also knocked down some commercial tricycles (Keke Napep).
Three women, including a pregnant woman and a baby, sustained fractures.
While
allowing hundreds of travellers into the state in violation of the
restriction order, the soldiers also assaulted a photojournalist
attached to the committee while he was filming the vehicles streaming
into the city.
The Borno government imposed a restriction of
interstate travel in May. Only persons on essential duties or with the
issued pass are allowed into the state.
The COVID-19 Committee
has also ruled that violators of the interstate travel restriction would
be detained in a quarantine facility for 14 days.
“We were
assaulted today and it is quite unfortunate that it is a federal
government law enforcement agency that is responsible,” said Kaka Shehu,
the attorney general of Borno.
“We are carrying out a federal government order on restriction on interstate movement
and soldiers in three gun trucks decided to violate that by forcefully leading passengers into the city.
“They
did not only break through the barricades but also assaulted us as a
committee. They beat up our cameraman, seized his camera, and attempted
to beat up some of the policemen in our committee.
“We did
our best to calm the policemen, while I tried to confront one of the
soldiers to remind him of the consequences of their action. But to my
greatest surprise, the soldier looked at me and told me he doesn’t care
about our ‘useless democracy’.”
The attorney general said the
rampaging troops who were apparently enjoying cheers from the civilians
allowed to enter the city, “threatened to deal with anyone who would
stand on their way.”
The state deputy governor, Umar Kadafur, who
chairs the COVID-19 Committee, arrived at the scene of the faceoff and
called the garrison commander to meet him at the scene.
Mr Kadafur also ordered the return of the seized video camera while condemning the action of the soldiers.
The
garrison commander who apologised for the action of the soldiers said
the perpetrators have been identified and would face disciplinary
action.
The garrison commander also said that the officer
commanding the soldiers that violated the restriction order said they
acted based on the fact that incoming travellers that were trying to
escape the committee had gathered at a location, and the soldiers were
worried that they could come under attack by Boko Haram insurgents.
Hence they led them into the state.
Highly condemnable’
Speaking
to journalists at the scene of the clash, the deputy governor said,
“this is highly condemnable and should not be allowed to repeat itself
again.”
“We have conferred with the garrison commander and made
it clear to him that we won’t allow any soldier to undermine our
authority and the orders of Mr President. Hence we will pursue the case
to its logical conclusion until we see that those soldiers face
disciplinary action.
“However, we as a committee, and government,
appreciate the sacrifices of the Nigerian military and we will do
everything to support them, but we will not tolerate discipline in our
state.”
The COVID-19 Committee, led by the deputy governor, later
visited the Specialist Hospital where persons injured as a result of
the soldiers’ actions we’re receiving treatment.
PREMIUM TIMES
reporter saw some of the victims, including the pregnant woman and the
toddler with his mother who all sustained fractures on their legs and
arm.
The deceased driver of the RRS vehicle was still alive at
the time the deputy governor visited. He died minutes after the
committee had left the hospital.
Confirming the development, the
state commissioner of health said “We have just received a report from
the hospital that the injured driver had passed away.”
“This is
very sad that all this happened because some soldiers chose to break the
law. We are doing our best to stem down the spread of the pandemic,
that’s why we are enforcing the ban on interstate travel,” he said.
“The
cases of COVID-19 are on the rise and most of the new cases are from
the travel violators whose blood sample we too while they are in the
quarantine facility.”
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