Invasion Of UN House: Army Acted On Reports
…Says it collaborated with UN on counter-insurgency goals
BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The Nigerian Army has said that it acted on intelligence reports in combing some areas of Maiduguri Metropolis which included a house believe to accommodate some staff of an international humanitarian organisation.
The Theatre Commander, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, who stated this a media briefing in Maiduguri, also said that the Army conducted a cordon operation in the Pompori area of Maiduguri in search of high profiled Boko Haram insurgents.
Commenting on the raid on UN facility in Maiduguri, General Attahiru explained that the action of his officers and men, like previous successful exercises, was based on intelligent reports made available to the military and was never intended to tarnish the image of the UN body, which is an agency the Nigerian military respect and hold in high esteem.
Attahiru however said that the house in question did not bear UN designation but was later discovered to accommodate some staff of a UN humanitarian agency.
According to him; “The cordon- and-search operation was not specifically targeted at the UN facility, but rather done in the general area of operation. About 30 houses were searched during the exercise and no arrests were made.
“The military recorded significant success in various operations conducted in the theatre in the past two weeks. For instance, our troops under the Operation LAFIYA DOLE neutralized several Boko Haram insurgents, made arrests and discovered a bomb making factory. The development assisted to reduce the spate of suicide bombing and insurgents’ attacks.
“It should not be misconstrued that the Nigerian Army is trying to stop the UN from discharging its activities. We are partners in progress in the counter insurgency operations”.
“We will continue to collaborate with the United Nations (UN) humanitarian agencies to achieve the goals of the counter-insurgency campaign and other developments to address the humanitarian crisis in the North-east region.
“The Nigerian Army is very aware of the need of the UN agencies to discharge their duties and we are ready to support them by providing enabling and conducive environment to UN and other agencies to enhance their operations.