Ndume’s claim on Army cemetery uncomplementary, says CSOs

The Coalition of Civil Society Groups against terrorism in Nigeria has expressed serious worry over recent statement, credited to the Chairman of the Senate committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume, where he claimed that from year 2013 till date over 800 soldiers have so far been killed and buried at the Maiduguri cemetery of the Nigerian Army and other Military cemeteries in the Northeast zone of the Country. The Civil Society group described Ndume’s claim as not only insensitive, but also unexpected of a high ranking parliamentarian of Ndume’s status.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday and signed by its Convener, Comrade Odeyemi Oladimeji, the coalition described the senator’s claim, as vexatious, and unfounded. Odeyemi said such claim should have been made on verifiable data with quantum of evidence, not only premised on hearsay, gossips or rumour mongering but backed with empirical statistics and facts which primarily should be verifiable from the military authorities.

“It is becoming more worrisome that some of the stakeholders, who are hitherto expected to compliment the Nigerian Army’s effort, towards eradicating the menacing insecurities in the northeast, and other troubled part of the Country, have maintained a perpetual antagonistic relationship with the Nigerian Army, thereby working at cross purposes at every given opportunity.”

“While it is agreeable, that our country have recorded casualties as a result of the war against the criminal Boko Haram insurgents, through the ultimate sacrifices being made by our gallant troops, it is immoral and highly insensitive at this time, for Senator Ndume to commission an insensitive and highly partisan, location of Military cemeteries and body count exercise, which is not only unverifiable, but also injurious to the psyche of our troops in the war front, and the families of our fallen heroes.

The group also averred that it has observe of recent that the Nigerian Army has been faced with a lot of false narratives and fake news in its various operations across the country. “It is a known fact that terrorism thrives on propaganda and this kind of insensitive statement from Senator Ali Ndume” .

Our admonition to Senator Ndume and his ilks, is that what is needed to establish proof therefore are observers authentication, relevance of visual correlation, privilege of witness, opinion of experts and their testimonies, identification and rule of physical evidence, and not statement or unsubstantiated claims made for political exigency.