THE Nigerian Army has said that its decision
to raid the United Nations Head Office along Pompomari Bye- Pass Road in
Maiduguri yesterday was informed by an intelligence report that Boko Haram
insurgents had infiltrated the camp.
Saturday
Vanguard gathered that the action which took place at 2 am yesterday was
carried out by troops, who performed a cordon and search operation. It was
learnt that the property which was rented by the UN belonged to the late former
governor of Borno State, Malla Kachallah.
However,
the Army in a statement by Lieutenant Colonel Kingsley Samuel said it got
information that the camp had been infiltrated by Boko Haram insurgents, adding
that there was no sign to indicate that the property housed the UN office.
The
statement reads: “As part of ongoing counter insurgency operations, the theatre
command of Operation Lafiya Dole has been conducting several clearances as well
as cordon and search operations in urban and rural areas within the theatre.
The clearance operations effort has been yielding several successes.
“It
has forced the Boko Haram Terrorists, BHT, to change tactics and resort to the
employment of suicide bombers to target military locations and the
populace. This necessitated the need to
intensify cordon and search in Maiduguri metropolis and environment.
“In
the last one week cordon and search operations were conducted in Jiddari –Polo,
Muna Garage, Jakana amongst several other areas. On August 10, 2017, Theatre
Command received information from one of its credible sources that some
high-value BHT suspects had infiltrated into Pompomari Bye-Pass.
“It,
therefore, became expedient to take pre-emptive action by combing the area
through cordon and search operations.
The operation was successfully conducted as over 30 houses were
searched. One of such included a
property which was said to be occupied by United Nations staff, although the
property did not carry a UN designation. On the whole, operation in the general
area was successfully concluded but no arrest was made because the suspects
were not found.”
Reacting
to the incident in a statement, the Head, Communications UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Miss Samantha Newport said the agency was
concerned that the action could undermine its duties in the Northeast.
The
statement reads:”On August 11, 2017, at circa 0500 hours, members of the
Nigerian security forces entered a United Nations base for humanitarian workers
in Maiduguri, Northeast Nigeria, without authorization.
“The
security forces carried out a search of the tented camp and left the area at
circa 0800 hours.”
“The
United Nations does not have any additional information at this time regarding
the reason or motivations for the unauthorized search.
“The
United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator and the Designated Official for
Security in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, is liaising with the government of Nigeria.
“The
United Nations is extremely concerned that these actions could be detrimental
to the delivery of life-saving aid to the millions of vulnerable people in the
northeast of Nigeria”.
News Source: - Vanguard | August 13, 2017.
Image Source: - Intelligent Briefs | November
10, 2015; Daily Post | May 11, 2017.
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