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While the defence headquarters said in Abuja on Monday that 25 Boko Haram terrorists were killed in the clash, the military Joint Task Force in Borno state, on Tuesday, said 30 militants lost their lives.
The Nigerian military has, in less than 48 hours, released multiple but conflicting statistics on the Baga bloodshed, varying the number of the dead and date of the attack, and raising concerns over the credibility of its version of events in the remote Borno community where many civilians died in the crossfire between soldiers and Boko Haram militants.
On Monday, the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier-General Chris Kolade, told journalists in Abuja that 25 insurgents were killed in Baga during a battle on Friday night and early Saturday. He said one soldier was also killed, but did not comment on the civilian casualties.
Again, while general reports of the incident, including early reactions from the military, say the attack occurred on Friday, April 19, a release by the JTF on Tuesday, said the fighting occurred Tuesday, April 16.
The statement signed by the commander of the force, Brig. Gen Austin Edokpaye, said “Multinational Joint Task Force troops on routine patrol” had an encounter with Boko Haram terrorists in Baga. Notably, the statement said the event occurred on Tuesday, April 16 at about 7.30 pm.
That number dramatically changed on Tuesday when the JTF in Borno said in a statement that 30 militants were killed, alongside one soldier and six civilians.
Journalists in Maiduguri, who noted the discrepancy with the date, immediately raised it with the spokesperson for the JTF, Lt. Col Sagir Musa, who declined comment.
No solider was willing to speak on Tuesday, either to reporters on the ground in Borno State, on by phone.For most of Tuesday, Mr. Edokpaye was in Baga, the remote fishing community on the shoreline of Lake Chad. He could not be reached on phone since the community has no telephone network.
“During the encounter, one soldier was killed, and five other soldiers were injured. While 30 Boko Haram terrorists lost their lives, five were arrested, and many escaped with bullet wounds,” the statement said. “Unfortunately, six civilians lost their lives and 10 other civilians were injured in the cross fire.”
The JTF’s release was delivered to the news media by Mr. Musa; but the document, a two-page brief, was signed by the state commander of the force, Mr. Edokpaye.
The military’s contradictions appeared to fuel even more, doubts and confusion about the events of Friday or Tuesday, as the army claims, which led to the deaths of many, and left in its trail, a controversy over the number of civilians killed.
The residents of the village, driven into the bushes by the attack, and witnesses say they buried 185 victims, including women and children, after the battle. Residents, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES, say majority of the victims died from the fire that engulfed their homes after the battle. They accused the soldiers of starting the fire.
The military has forcefully denied the figures, which have alarmed the world drawing condemnations from the United Nations. The JTF commander said the figure was “unthinkable”. President Goodluck Jonathan has given weight the disclaimer, saying the numbers were exaggerated.
Aid agency, the Red Cross, said at least 187 people were killed while 77 were injured. Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima, said Monday that “more than” 100 people died.
But many see the disparities in the numbers released by the military, capable of dimming the prospect of the force drawing more confidence in its reportage of the Baga events, even where the villagers’ figures had been embellished.The senate has ordered investigation into the attack, but fears those with genuine information may be too afraid to come out and testify.
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