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… accuse soldiers of killing 2 youths
From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
Mwaghavul youths have expressed lack of confidence in the new deployment of military personnel following the attack on Bin-Per community in Kumbun district of Mangu local government area of Plateau in which 24 persons were killed.
The military had, in response to the attack moved the tactical command of the joint military joint task force on security in Plateau state, the Operation Enduring Peace, to Mangu .
The Commander of OPEP, Maj. Gen. Maxwell Dangana, had also launched an ‘Operation Hard Knock’ to flush out the criminal elements in Mangu and its environs.
But Mangu youths through the Mwaghavul Youths Movement, said that the new deployment would not produce the desired result as the modus operandi of the military had not changed
Director of Public Affairs, Mwaghavul Youth Movement, Tubwot Joel Sunday, in an interview with our correspondent, said that soldiers deployed to the area only station themselves in the heart of the town without moving into the border areas from where the attackers make incursions into villages to carry out the killings.
Moreover, Sunday accused the soldiers of not going after the attacks, but only waiting for them to strike before reacting.
He said that the soldiers only react to attacks and not making deliberate efforts to fish out perpetrators before they attack.
Sunday said, ” We have no confidence in the new deployment because it will not change the attitude of the soldiers who only patrol the towns waiting for attacks to occur before reacting. And more often than not, their reaction had resulted in killing locals who come out to defend themselves. So they just wait for attacks to occur before reacting and our youths are often the casualties.
“For instance, just two days ago, two youths protesting the Bin-Per attack were killed by soldiers. In fact, we’re contemplating suing the military for the death of the Youths.
Sunday gave the names of the two youths as Obadiah Alfred 35 years and Bak’ar Musa 30 years.
Media Officer, OPEP, Capt Chinonso Oteh, could not be reached for comments.
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