Presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Oby Ezekwesili, has expressed concern over reports that 700 Nigerian soldiers were killed in Baga, Borno State, by Boko Haram insurgents.
Reports also alleged that over 2,000 Nigerian soldiers are missing.
“Although the military and the Presidency have denied the reports, but the serial credibility challenges of the Buhari administration and the security team he leads as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces have created public distrust of any rebuttal by government. And that is gravely worrisome.
“The only way to ensure accuracy of the casualty that Nigeria is suffering as a result of counter-terrorism at this stage is to inaugurate a citizens-led independent investigation panel.
“Such an initiative would go a long way to eliminate the opaqueness of the counter-terrorism war and restore public confidence, as the case may be, in how the Buhari administration is prosecuting it,” she said.
The ACPN presidential candidate also frowned at the consistent killings in Zamfara State recently, saying that the once most peaceful state of the North West region had been turned into a theatre of terrorism.
Ezekwesili stated that the constitutional mandate of the government to ensure the security of life and property of all Nigerians had been poorly handled, especially within the last decade.
She added that “within days of being inaugurated into office, our ACPN administration would move swiftly to launch a coordinated response to all acts of violence in regions that are vulnerable to attacks from armed groups and concurrently commence a strong security sector reform for professionalism, accountability
