Army, group faults Ndume’s claim that Boko Haram killed 847 soldiers in Borno alone
http://www.hrlnews.com/2019/10/army-group-faults-ndumes-claim-that.html
The National Democratic Front (NDF) has faulted a claim by the former leader of the Nigerian Senate, Ali Ndume that the Boko Haram terrorist group killed 847 soldiers in Borno State alone, between 2003 till date.
The
group said that the claim by Ndume, who currently is the chairman,
Senate Committee on Army, was not just mischievous but also
diversionary.
In a related development, spokesman of the Nigerian
Army spokesman, Colonel Sagir Musa, is said to have also refuted the
claim by the senator and asked him to provide evidence of his claims.
NDF
called on the senator to desist from using Boko Haram and substance
abuse in the North to divert attention from his “atrocities.”
Ndume
had made the claim when he spoke with reporters on Tuesday in Abuja,
adding that the casualty figure was sourced from military authorities
last week.
But reacting in a statement by its secretary-general,
Bolaji Abdulkadir, NDF said that Ndume was trying to “shift the goal
post.” It said that the senator’s claims and utterances were insensitive
and an affront to the sensibilities of families and relatives of those
that have been affected by Boko Haram crisis.
“We are constrained
to comment in light of the shameful and dishonourable statement credited
to Senator Ali Ndume, the Senator representing Borno South Senatorial
District of Borno State, wherein he mischievously stated that over 847
soldiers had been killed by Boko Haram and buried in Borno cemetery.
“The
National Democratic Front wishes to inform members of the general
public that Senator Ali Ndume is not one whose perceived contribution to
the national discourse should be taken seriously, not even with the
fact that he is a Boko Haram
sponsor despite the kangaroo judgment he secured from the courts when
he was arraigned for terrorism-related offences some time ago.
“Senator
Ali Ndume has a long history of substance abuse and we are constrained
to believe that his recent utterances might be as a result of the same
substance overdose and as such his views on national issues should be
viewed with a pinch of salt.
“The
National Democratic Front views his utterances as insensitive, and an
affront to the sensibilities of those whose families and relatives have
been affected in one way or the other by the Boko Haram crisis.
“It
is also an affront on the constituted authorities, especially the Armed
Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who have toiled day and
night in the past ten years to bring the nefarious activities of the
Boko Haram terrorist to an end.”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army
spokesman, Colonel Sagir Musa, is said to have also refuted the claim by
the senator and asked him to provide evidence of the killings.
Musa,
who admitted to not having an accurate count of the number of soldiers
killed in the ongoing war against insurgents in the country, however,
faulted Ndume’s claim.
Reactions: |