Assures Nigerians of the armed forces’ commitment to security
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has stated that no member of the armed forces was involved in the attack on Muslims in Kaduna State.
In a statement signed by Col. Mohammed Yerima, the Director, Defence Information on Sunday, the body said the early morning attack on the worshippers occurred at a Mosque at Dogon Dawa village, near Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, and 20 people were allegedly killed.
?DHQ wishes to state categorically in the interest of the larger society that no member of the Nigerian Armed Forces was involved in the said attack,? it said.
It said the attention of DHQ had been drawn to the unsubstantiated claims by some foreign media alleging that the Nigerian Military carried out the early morning attack.
?This is contrary to reports by other local and international media organisations, which reported that the attack was carried out by unknown gunmen,” the statement read.
?Investigation revealed that the killing was a reprisal attack by a gang of armed robbers who lost some of their members after a recent raid of their hide out.”
It added that the raid was carried out through the combined effort of the villagers and the vigilante group in that community.
In the statement, the DHQ reassured the public of its readiness to assist the Nigerian Police and other security agencies whose primary responsibility is the maintenance of law and order.
It added that the DHQ was committed to the defence and protection of the country?s hard-earned democracy.
The statement added that the armed forces belong to the Nigerian people and could not be an instrument of lawlessness and destruction of the very people they had sworn to protect as alleged by the reports.
It urged members of the public to go about their legitimate businesses without any fear of molestation, and to also to report any breach of peace and security in the society to law enforcement agencies.
