Nigerian Government Asked To ‘Stop Secret Burial Of Soldiers’

The Nigerian Government has been urged to stop the alleged “secret burial” of soldiers being ambushed and killed in the North East by the dreaded Boko Haram sect.

The call was made by the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaign group which claimed in a statement that the government had been conducting “mass burial for our troops, killed by Boko Haram” after it has claimed victory against the terrorist group on several occasions.

The BBOG said in the joint statement by its co-conveners, Oby Ezekwesili, Aisha Yesufu and Florence Ozor, that: “Were Nigerians not told that the military has won the war? What then is the reason for the escalation of attacks by the terrorists and the heightened loss of life of citizens and our soldiers?” the statement read

“The #BringBackOurGirls advocacy has been consistent in voicing the correlation between the wellbeing of our troops, the rescue of our #ChibokGirls and the end of the insurgency.

“It is therefore disheartening that several months after the federal government’s announcement that Boko Haram has been technically defeated, we see pictures of a mass burial for our troops, killed by Boko Haram.

“The military authority should immediately confirm the number of our soldiers that have died within this month of July 2018. Their families and Nigerians should have a brief on the circumstances of their deaths as a means to healing, to have closure. Their names should be released for proper honour as obtains in other climes,” the statement read.

“We take exception to what is to all intent, a secret burial of our fallen heroes. Those responsible for the safety of our troops should be sanctioned for this failure and measures must be put in place to prevent further deaths and damage to the morale of our troops. We question why the current status of our defence budget is at variance with the safety and wellbeing of our troops in this fight against Boko Haram.

“We still stand on the demand we have made previously, for the federal government to institute a monthly counter-terrorism status report to the Nigerian public.”