UNILAG AD
  • The Membership Club
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Friday, August 12, 2022
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • #PandoraPapers
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • #PandoraPapers
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad

Satellite imagery shows 2,275 houses burnt in Baga, Human Rights Watch says

byNicholas Ibekwe
May 1, 2013
Reading Time: 2 mins read
7

Satelite imagery shows that 2,275 houses were burnt.

Contrary to the claim by Nigerian military that only 30 houses were destroyed in a military raid in Baga, Maiduguri on April 16 and 17 after a soldier was killed when members of insurgent Boko Haram attacked an military vehicle, satellite images obtained by Human Right Watch has revealed “massive destruction of civilian properties.”

A statement released by the organisation said it identified 2,275 destroyed buildings, majority of which are likely residential, with another 125 severely damaged.

Human rights Watch said its findings corroborate claims by the residents of the town that “counted 2,000 burned homes and 183 bodies” immediately after the attack.

The organisation said the discrepancy in the figure given by the military and the its findings as well as the refusal of the military to allow journalists into the town has given rise to concern that the military is working on a cover up.

“The glaring discrepancies between the facts on the ground and statements by senior military officials raise concerns that they tried to cover up military abuses,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

“Since the attack, the military has restricted journalists’ access to Baga, a remote fishing community on the shores of Lake Chad, 200 kilometres northeast of the city of Maiduguri. Boko Haram has destroyed mobile telephone towers in the area, claiming that security services used mobile phones to track down its members, making communication particularly difficult for survivors of the attack,” the statement noted.

Human Right Watch called on the government to “thoroughly and impartially investigate allegations that soldiers carried out widespread destruction and killing in the town.”

“The Nigerian military has a duty to protect itself and the population from Boko Haram attacks, but the evidence indicates that it engaged more in destruction than in protection,” said Mr. Bekele.

TEXEM Advert

Some residents who fled the town after the attack told Human right Watch that they saw soldiers in uniform kill residents and burn houses.

The statement quoted a “27-year-old woman, who stayed in her house after the gunfire erupted, described to Human Rights Watch how soldiers went door-to-door looking for any men that remained in her neighbourhood.”

“I saw the soldiers drag a man out of another house. They started beating him with their guns. They were beating him severely and he was crying,” she said. “The man then ran, and I saw the soldiers shoot him. I heard the gunshots and saw him fall. On the other side of the road the soldiers were beating other people.”

Another resident said soldiers had threatened to treat habitants of the town as insurgent members openly before the attack.

“We had heard the soldiers say before [the attack] that since you people are not cooperating with us and are hiding your brothers, we will treat you as one of them,” the fisherman told Human Rights Watch. “I heard the soldiers say this. Everyone heard them say this. They were saying this in the open.”

Human Rights Watch Analysis of satellite images suggests that the fire that swept across the town was intentionally started and not sparked by rocket-propelled grenades fired by the insurgents as claimed by the military

“Because of the number of buildings destroyed by fire as well as their distribution across large sections of the town, Human Rights Watch believes that such fires were intentionally set and not inadvertently sparked by the detonation of rocket-propelled grenades or improvised explosive devices. Such weapons could not ignite fires on such a wide scale, nor could they set fire to non-attached structures. Small arms and light weapons do not contain the amount of explosive or incendiary material to produce such a scale of damage,” Human Rights Watch said.

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket


Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate



TEXT AD: Call Willie - +2348098788999






PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

Bamigbetan: Nigeria’s boiling cauldron! By Dele Agekameh

Next Post

Group asks EFCC to investigate Alison-Madueke over oil block deals

Nicholas Ibekwe

Nicholas Ibekwe

Nicholas Ibekwe is PREMIUM TIMES' Head of Investigations. He is a graduate of English Language from the Lagos State University. He has a Master's in International Journalism from City University, London, United Kingdom. Nicholas, who is 2016 fellow of the World Press Fellowship, has won several awards for his work including the Wole Soyinka Prize for Investigative Journalism, two-time finalist, FAIR( Forum for African Investigative Reporters) Award, and Chevening Scholarship. Twitter: @nicholasibekwe 

More News

Inibehe Effiong

Prison officials forcefully scraped Inibehe Effiong’s hair, beard – Lawyer

August 12, 2022
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State

Wike denies suing Atiku, PDP

August 12, 2022
Glory Ogbonna Falcons defender

Champions League takes Super Falcons defender to Turkey

August 12, 2022
Johnson & Johnson Medical [PHOTO CREDIT: NPR]

Johnson & Johnson to end sales of talc powder after cancer lawsuits

August 12, 2022
NLC matching to the National Assembly

University Workers’ Strike: Group tells NLC, TUC to declare nationwide strike

August 12, 2022
Fomer governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame of Plateau and Taraba states

Lalong visits Dariye, Nyame, praises Buhari for pardoning ex-governors who stole billions

August 12, 2022
Read All Comment

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2022 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • #PandoraPapers
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Opinion
  • The Membership Club
  • DONATE
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • PT Hausa
  • Dubawa NG
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store

All content is Copyrighted © 2022 The Premium Times, Nigeria