The Senate yesterday cleared security agencies of culpability in the
death of eight migrant workers in Abuja on September 20.
The Senate also
absolved security agencies of extra-judicial killings while considering the
report of its joint committees which investigated the incident.
The killings of eight squatters took place in an uncompleted building in Apo, Abuja.
Twelve others were injured and a similar number arrested when security forces attacked the building on claim Boko Haram insurgents were in the building.
However, the committee report which was adopted yesterday said about 100 squatters that lived in the building were migrant workers, mostly Keke NAPEP operators. It described the killing as “tragic and regrettable.”
The committee was chaired by Senator Mohammed Magoro (PDP, Kebbi).
The report said, “The Apo incident although tragic and regrettable is an isolated case in view of the fact that since January 2013 to date the security agencies had carried out about 153 operations and many arrests made within the Abuja without expending a single bullet.
“The overall anti-terrorist strategy of the Federal government is still appropriate and effective but in this particular case the conduct of the operations leaves much to be desired.”
The panel also observed that the operation by severity agencies which led to the killing of the eight squatters and wounding 11 others “was not a case of extra-judicial killing but the outcome of hastily executed operation.
“Most of the victims were Keke NAPEP operators, okada riders and hawkers. Over 100 persons lived in the two uncompleted buildings and those that were killed or sustained injuries were those who attempted to run out of the building, and majority of the occupants co-habited with Boko Haram elements unknowingly,” the report said.
Following widespread condemnation immediately after the shooting, the State Security Service claimed that security forces came under attack from occupants of the building but no weapons were found after the killings.
The panel said the operation was necessitated by electronic intercepts by the Department of State Services (DSS) which indicated plans to attack various locations in the FCT on September 22.
The Senate adopted the recommendation that the Federal government should “urge the security agencies to supervise more closely security operations at the tactical level and to continue to do all that is possible to defeat the Boko Haram terrorists.”
Senators reject report
Shortly after Senator Magoro presented the report, a member of the committee Senator Sani Saleh (APC, Kaduna) dissociated himself from the report on grounds that the committee had derailed from its terms of reference by going on to discuss the entire anti-terrorists operations across the country.
He said as a member of the committee he has not seen the report before it was submitted to the Senate and accused Senator Magaro of presenting a guided report.
Saleh argued that the committee’s mandate was to ascertain whether the military engaged in extra-judicial killing during the operation or not. He faulted the operation for failure to conform with laid down standards of military tactics during such operations.
He argued that the report failed to state whether those persons killed were members of the Boko Haram or whether their killing was extra-judicial.
“I stand to dissociate myself from this report. This report from the outset digressed from the task given to us. The operation that day was irresponsible. It did not take care of civilian safety and did not conform to any known military standard of operation,” he said.
Supporting Saleh’s position, Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u (PDP, Zamfara) who sponsored the motion which instituted the probe, also accused the committee of shying away from the issue which was to find out whether those killed had any links to Boko Haram, and if the killings were extra-judicial.
“The crucial aspect of my motion has not been addressed which is whether the people killed were members of Boko Haram. I would like to know the stand of this Senate on the eight people killed,” Ya’u said.
For his part, Senator Olushola Adeyeye (APC, Osun), who described extra-judicial killing as the “killing of a person by government authorities without the sanctions of any judicial proceeding or legal process”, said that what happened on that day in Apo lacked any judicial process or proceeding and so it fits the description of extra-judicial killing.
He noted that although terrorism was a scourge, no Nigerian deserved to be killed without due process.
However, Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP, Cross Rivers), said Saleh should have made a written comment to the committee instead of making his views on the floor.
He said the findings of the committee confirmed that there was reasonable cause for the security agencies to take action to prevent a potential threat of terrorism attack by insurgents saying, “the conclusions reached by the committee can be justified by the findings of the committee. As a member of the committee, he (Saleh) should have availed us with a written document but what he did was to ambush the rest of us with his comments.
But Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa (APC, Zamfara) countered by saying: “They failed to tell us if those killed were Boko Haram or not. We should ask the committee to go back and find out what they were asked to find out whether it was extra-judicial killing or not,” said
But Senator Hadi Sirika (APC, Katsina), suggested that the committee should be given time to rework the report and incorporate the observations raised before it was brought back, a suggestion that was ignored by the deputy senate president Ike Ewkeremadu, who presided over the sitting yesterday.
‘Pressure mounted on Senator Magoro’
A Senator on the committee who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Daily Trust yesterday that the panel came under “tremendous” pressure from the presidency and a section of the senate leadership not to indict the security agencies over the killings
The Senator said the pressure mounted on the committee chairman Senator Mohammed Magoro was responsible for the delay in the submission and consideration of the report by Senate despite the fact that, the panel was given only four weeks to conclude its assignment.
“The report was submitted two weeks ago but it could not be debated because of the pressure from both within the Senate and outside not to indict the security agencies. They said that indicting them will kill their morale in the fight against terrorism. But is this how we will continue in this country?” the Senator said.
The killings of eight squatters took place in an uncompleted building in Apo, Abuja.
Twelve others were injured and a similar number arrested when security forces attacked the building on claim Boko Haram insurgents were in the building.
However, the committee report which was adopted yesterday said about 100 squatters that lived in the building were migrant workers, mostly Keke NAPEP operators. It described the killing as “tragic and regrettable.”
The committee was chaired by Senator Mohammed Magoro (PDP, Kebbi).
The report said, “The Apo incident although tragic and regrettable is an isolated case in view of the fact that since January 2013 to date the security agencies had carried out about 153 operations and many arrests made within the Abuja without expending a single bullet.
“The overall anti-terrorist strategy of the Federal government is still appropriate and effective but in this particular case the conduct of the operations leaves much to be desired.”
The panel also observed that the operation by severity agencies which led to the killing of the eight squatters and wounding 11 others “was not a case of extra-judicial killing but the outcome of hastily executed operation.
“Most of the victims were Keke NAPEP operators, okada riders and hawkers. Over 100 persons lived in the two uncompleted buildings and those that were killed or sustained injuries were those who attempted to run out of the building, and majority of the occupants co-habited with Boko Haram elements unknowingly,” the report said.
Following widespread condemnation immediately after the shooting, the State Security Service claimed that security forces came under attack from occupants of the building but no weapons were found after the killings.
The panel said the operation was necessitated by electronic intercepts by the Department of State Services (DSS) which indicated plans to attack various locations in the FCT on September 22.
The Senate adopted the recommendation that the Federal government should “urge the security agencies to supervise more closely security operations at the tactical level and to continue to do all that is possible to defeat the Boko Haram terrorists.”
Senators reject report
Shortly after Senator Magoro presented the report, a member of the committee Senator Sani Saleh (APC, Kaduna) dissociated himself from the report on grounds that the committee had derailed from its terms of reference by going on to discuss the entire anti-terrorists operations across the country.
He said as a member of the committee he has not seen the report before it was submitted to the Senate and accused Senator Magaro of presenting a guided report.
Saleh argued that the committee’s mandate was to ascertain whether the military engaged in extra-judicial killing during the operation or not. He faulted the operation for failure to conform with laid down standards of military tactics during such operations.
He argued that the report failed to state whether those persons killed were members of the Boko Haram or whether their killing was extra-judicial.
“I stand to dissociate myself from this report. This report from the outset digressed from the task given to us. The operation that day was irresponsible. It did not take care of civilian safety and did not conform to any known military standard of operation,” he said.
Supporting Saleh’s position, Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u (PDP, Zamfara) who sponsored the motion which instituted the probe, also accused the committee of shying away from the issue which was to find out whether those killed had any links to Boko Haram, and if the killings were extra-judicial.
“The crucial aspect of my motion has not been addressed which is whether the people killed were members of Boko Haram. I would like to know the stand of this Senate on the eight people killed,” Ya’u said.
For his part, Senator Olushola Adeyeye (APC, Osun), who described extra-judicial killing as the “killing of a person by government authorities without the sanctions of any judicial proceeding or legal process”, said that what happened on that day in Apo lacked any judicial process or proceeding and so it fits the description of extra-judicial killing.
He noted that although terrorism was a scourge, no Nigerian deserved to be killed without due process.
However, Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP, Cross Rivers), said Saleh should have made a written comment to the committee instead of making his views on the floor.
He said the findings of the committee confirmed that there was reasonable cause for the security agencies to take action to prevent a potential threat of terrorism attack by insurgents saying, “the conclusions reached by the committee can be justified by the findings of the committee. As a member of the committee, he (Saleh) should have availed us with a written document but what he did was to ambush the rest of us with his comments.
But Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa (APC, Zamfara) countered by saying: “They failed to tell us if those killed were Boko Haram or not. We should ask the committee to go back and find out what they were asked to find out whether it was extra-judicial killing or not,” said
But Senator Hadi Sirika (APC, Katsina), suggested that the committee should be given time to rework the report and incorporate the observations raised before it was brought back, a suggestion that was ignored by the deputy senate president Ike Ewkeremadu, who presided over the sitting yesterday.
‘Pressure mounted on Senator Magoro’
A Senator on the committee who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Daily Trust yesterday that the panel came under “tremendous” pressure from the presidency and a section of the senate leadership not to indict the security agencies over the killings
The Senator said the pressure mounted on the committee chairman Senator Mohammed Magoro was responsible for the delay in the submission and consideration of the report by Senate despite the fact that, the panel was given only four weeks to conclude its assignment.
“The report was submitted two weeks ago but it could not be debated because of the pressure from both within the Senate and outside not to indict the security agencies. They said that indicting them will kill their morale in the fight against terrorism. But is this how we will continue in this country?” the Senator said.
Boko Haram targeted Mark
In the report, the Director General of the Department of State Services Mr. Eta Ekpenyon was quoted to have said that the Boko Haram sect had planned to attack the residence of Senate President David Mark located at the Apo Legislators’ quarters not far from the scene of the incidence.
“A suspected member of the Boko Haram sect was arrested by this service while taking photographs of the Apo residence of the Senate president and other severity structures within the vicinity on 3rd May, 2013.”
Rights group reacts
Reacting to the Senate resolution, rights campaigner and President of Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, Comrade Shehu Sani, said that the senate’s action was condemnable.
“The resolution of the senate over the Apo killings that failed to condemn the barbaric action of the security agencies stands condemned. The killings in Apo were, and remain nothing but extra judicial murder. The senate have done nothing but blame the victims and aided and abetted the committal of gross human rights violations,” he said.
He added, “the killings remain horrific and despicable act of cruelty by the state apparatus. The Senate by their resolution have defecated on the graves of those innocent souls. It’s most unfortunate that the Senate failed to take into account the testimony of the survivors of the raid and the mass killings.”
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