Konshisha Invasion: CSOs Exonerate Military

The Coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Benue State, have faulted the claim that over 70 persons were killed in Konshisha Local Government Area of the state by men of the Nigerian Army.

The Nigerian Army are currently in operation in the area to recover arms carted away by some criminal elements who killed 11 of its personnel on lawful duty, last week.

The CSOs operating under the aegis of Coalition Of Benue State Civil Society  for Peace and Good Governance,  exonerated the Nigerian Army of any wrongdoings in the area and insisted that contrary to claims by a faceless group, the Army had carried out its operation in line with its rules of engagement.

In a statement, they commended the Army its “professional conduct, despite the high level of provocation” and also demanded that onslaught against adversaries be sustained until total peace and sanity is restored in the troubled area and the missing arms recovered.

The statement by its National Chairman, Dr Elijah Shima and National Secretary, Rev Tergnu Nyamvia, said its position came after it carried out independent on-the-spot and fact-finding assessment of the troubled area.

The coalition described the group, Shangev-Tiv Assembly Club House, Gungul, which it noted, had raised alarm of killings of 70 locals by men of the Nigerian Army in Konshisha, as not only faceless but also a mouthpiece of the late militia leader, Gana’s group.

“As civil society organizations working for peace in Benue State and other parts of the North Central states, we are worried about the reports circulating on social media and other media platforms by one group under the name-Shangev-Tiv Assembly (STA) Club House, Gungula group which claimed to be in Konshisha Local Government Area of the state,” it said.

According to it, “This faceless and unpatriotic group made several spurious and wide allegations of human rights violations against the Nigerian Army. They went further to claim that 70 people were killed by the Nigerian Military in the local government.”

“While we must state clearly that we are not the mouthpiece of the Nigerian Military or its spokespersons but civil society organizations working for the common good of the society, we owe the public the duty to always speak the truth,” it said.

The statement said “In line with our mandate, we proceeded to the local government area and visited most of the affected villages to ascertain the veracity of this information before making our findings to the general public.”

“Surprisingly, after several enquiries from locals and elites in the affected local government, we  discovered that there is no group with such a name not only in the  local government but also the entire Benue State,” it said.

It added “We strongly suspect that the so-called Shangev-Tiv Assembly (STA) Club House, Gungul, is the media department of the late Gana-led militia group, whose foot soldiers killed 11 of our galant troops in cold blood.

“We subject them to the strictest prove of their allegations with pictures, names, sex, village and age of the 70 people they claimed were killed by the troops.

“We are in a sovereign nation and the  Nigerian Army is our first line  of defence and no group of people should killed 11 of our soldiers in such a barbaric manner and get away with it, it’s unacceptable,  and we completely support the ongoing military Operation aimed at defeating the bandits and their sponsors in Benue State.”

“During our assessment, we observed an active collaboration of some elites who funded and supported these criminals elements to perpetrate their criminal acts to the detriment of the good people of Benue. This must be stopped forthwith. 

“We appeal to the Nigerian Army to ruthlessly sustain the onslaught against these criminal elements and their sponsors until the coast for peace is clear. No stone should be left upturned until everyone involved in the killings of our soldiers are brought to their knees,”it tasked the Nigerian Army authorities.

The coalition claimed that, “We also observed that most of the houses burnt were set ablaze by the militias themselves or those who harbored some fleeing militias.”

“There is nothing unprofessional about the conduct of the military  in Konshisha Local Government. They  acted in line with the rules of engagement and should rather be commended,” it insisted, adding:” We cannot continue to pamper criminals because they are our relatives. We must expose all the criminals causing us  pains.”

“We wish to  commend the patriotic stand of the Executive Governor of Benue State, who has always stood with his people at all times, for coming out openly in defence of the truth, that no 70 people were killed anywhere in the state by the military.

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