TheCable

The Good Governance Initiative (GGI) has described the release of Kaduna state government’s White Paper on the judicial commission of inquiry that investigated the clash between the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and the Nigerian Army as a welcome development.

The group also said Nigerians never doubted the fact that the army acted within its mandate of protecting the territorial integrity of the country.

According to a statement signed by Uche John, coordinator of GGI, Nigerians will continue to support the army in its quest to protect the law abiding citizens from any form of aggressor.

He urged the federal government to act on recommendations against IMN, emphasising that anyone caught committing a crime under the guise of religion should be tried under the relevant anti-terror legislations.

The document, which was released on Monday, said the army acted within its rules of engagement.

“We laud the exoneration of the Nigerian Army, which was cleared of any wrongdoing as an institution and we see this as the removal of obstacles that terrorist sponsors had tried to place in the way of the army to reduce its ability to protect Nigerians,” he said in a statement.

“The White Paper has laid to rest the true nature and status of IMN as an insurgent group whose members bear arms and had refused to evacuate Gyallesu area of Zaria, Kaduna state ahead of the referenced military operation in the report.

“We hope that those that have been mounting propaganda on behalf of IMN would now accept the position stated in the document that the Nigerian army abided by its rules of engagement in dealing with the organisation.”

He further urged judicial officers to familiarise themselves with this document “especially since more IMN members could soon be charged to court over their role in the group’s decades of insurgency against the Nigerian state”.