Military denies shooting civilian in Plateau

Operation Safe Haven, a special military task force that maintains peace in Plateau State and its environs, has denied that its soldiers shot innocent citizens during recent attacks in Plateau State’s Bokkos Local Government Area.

Maj. Samson Zhakom, the operation’s media officer, refuted the allegations in a statement issued on Monday in Jos.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the Coalition of Bokkos Ethnic Youth Nationalities claimed that military personnel shot people, making local communities more vulnerable.

The organization, which demanded the dismissal of the Commander of OPSH Step-Up Headquarters 2 in Bokkos, claimed that the military had failed to put an end to recent killings in local areas.

However, the media officer dismissed the charge as false, claiming that it was intended to harm the state’s military and other security organizations’ reputations.

He further stated that the group’s assertion that security services deployed in Bokkos fought with vigilantes was false, emphasizing that the officers acted professionally while repelling the attack.

“Security agencies were rather preoccupied with restoring normalcy during the confrontations between different ethnic groups on April 13, 2024.

“Kudos should be given to these troops who remained deployed without break for over 72 hours, ensuring that the high grounds and other vulnerable communities were dominated in a bid to protect law-abiding citizens.

“Also, the use of sophisticated weapons by the acclaimed vigilante was further buttressed by the discovery of 11 rounds of 7.62 mm (special) ammunition in possession of the dead militia, contrary to claims that he was a vigilante who was using Dane guns to protect his community.

“Moreover, the acclaimed vigilante was already dead before the troops arrived in the area; therefore, the allegation of killing the vigilante is a calculated effort to feign weakness and exonerate the dead vigilante from his participation in the attacks and counter-reprisals,” he said.

Zhakom said that the group’s appeal for the dismissal of the military commander in Bokkos was harmful and aimed at lowering troop morale in carrying out their authorized tasks.

“The call is not unconnected with the increased tempo of operations carried out by troops under the command of the senior officer, which has denied criminal elements on both sides of the divide the freedom of action.

“The desperation of the petitioners may have been aggravated by the impartial stance of the commander during the attack, which is already given a religious connotation to stir sentiment and instigate spillover to other parts of Plateau.

“It is of utmost importance to stress the risks associated with desperate attempts to galvanize negative public opinion against security agencies, taking into account the risks they pose.

“Notwithstanding the deliberate efforts to cast aspersions on our personnel, security agencies will continue to take proactive steps to prevent the breakdown of law and order in our joint operations area,” he said.