Military ignored Chibok attack warnings – Amnesty

Testimonies gathered by Amnesty International reveal that Nigerian security forces failed to act on advance warnings about Boko Haram’s armed raid on the state-run boarding school in Chibok which led to the abduction of more than 240 schoolgirls on 14th and 15th of April, according to a statement released by the body.The organization says after […]

Testimonies gathered by Amnesty International reveal that Nigerian security forces failed to act on advance warnings about Boko Haram’s armed raid on the state-run boarding school in Chibok which led to the abduction of more than 240 schoolgirls on 14th and 15th of April, according to a statement released by the body.
The organization says after it independently verified information based on multiple interviews with credible sources, they revealed that Nigerian security forces had more than four hours of advance warning about the attack but did not do enough to stop it. The statement continued: “The fact that Nigerian security forces knew about Boko Haram’s impending raid, but failed to take the immediate action needed to stop it, will only amplify the national and international outcry at this horrific crime.”
Amnesty International also condemned the abduction and continued detention of the school girls, describing the acts as “war crimes, and those responsible must be brought to justice.” The organization insists that it has confirmed through various sources that Nigeria’s military headquarters in Maiduguri was aware of the impending attack soon after 7pm on 14 April, close to four hours before Boko Haram began their assault on the town.
The release said an inability to muster troops, “Due to poor resources and a reported fear of engaging with the often better-equipped armed groups – meant that reinforcements were not deployed to Chibok that night. The small contingent of security forces based in the town – 17 army personnel as well as local police –attempted to repel the Boko Haram assault but were overpowered and forced to retreat. One soldier reportedly died.”
Labaran Maku, Nigeria’s Information Minister, told the BBC that the government will investigate the report which alleges that the authorities had advance warning of the Chibok raid. He said if the government had been aware there would have “been an intervention”.
However, Defence Headquarters in Abuja faulted the Amnesty International report. “It is unfortunate and untrue,” said Major-General Chris Olukolade, the Director of Defence Information. “Although the Chibok incident is still subject to more investigation, the DHQ appeals to individuals and organisations to refrain from circulating spurious allegations intended to portray the military in bad light,” he said.
Borno State government, however, reacted to Amnesty International’s report by way of a press statement issued by Isa Umar Gusau, the Special Adviser to Governor Kashim Shettima on Communication: “The Amnesty International report is clearly directed at the Federal Government. The Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima will not comment on the report, but deeply appreciates the efforts and sacrifices of security agencies in the state who have been engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the last three years with some of them laying their lives down in the process.”
The statement added that the governor also respects Amnesty International as a credible institution and will not doubt its findings. “The governor is very much committed to supporting ongoing search and rescue efforts to free Borno’s precious daughters. More than any other person in position of authority, Governor Shettima is deeply pained by that unfortunate abduction and is committed to providing all necessary support security agencies and community volunteers towards freeing his daughters.”
More than three weeks later, the majority of the girls remain in captivity in an unknown location. A climate of confusion and suspicion has so far scuppered efforts to secure their release.
The report says between 7pm on 14th April and 2am on 15th April, the military commands in Damboa, 36.5 km away from Chibok, and Maiduguri, 130 km away from Chibok, were repeatedly alerted to the threat by both security and local officials. Sources they interviewed, local civilian patrols in Gagilam, a neighbouring village, were among the first to raise the alarm on the evening of 14th April after a large group of unidentified armed men entered their village on motorbikes and said they were headed to Chibok. This set off a rapid chain of phone calls to alert officials, including Borno State Governor and senior military commanders based in Maiduguri.
Amnesty says one local official was contacted by herdsmen who said that armed men had asked where the Government Girls Secondary School was located in Chibok. Also, two senior officers in Nigeria’s armed forces confirmed that the military was aware of the planned attack even prior to the calls received from local officials.
Amnesty said one officer told him the commander was unable to mobilize reinforcements, describing difficulties faced by frontline soldiers in the North-East: “There’s a lot of frustration, exhaustion and fatigue among officers and [troops] based in the hotspots…many soldiers are afraid to go to the battle fronts.” The body says requests for a reaction from the military headquarters in Abuja have gone unanswered.
Amnesty told Weekly Trust that the information on the advance warnings of the impending Boko Haram attack in Chibok came from multiple sources, including local officials and two senior military officers, interviewed by the body. “The sources have been kept anonymous for their safety,” said the statement.