Government has begun fulfilling some of her promises to families of the 14 February 2020 massacre in Ngarbu village in Ndu Subdivision, in the restive North West region.
Families expected to use FCFA 5 million each to rebuild their houses destroyed by soldiers
This follows the donation of FCFA 80 million to the affected families alongside other humanitarian relief materials. The donation was handed to the beneficiaries Wednesday 3 February 2021 by North West Governor, Aldolf Lele LAfrique.
The administrator also disclosed plans by government to carryout development projects in the area with plans underway to open up roads in the area.
Gov't also handed relief items to the population
Lele revealed that each of the families were handed FCFA 5 million from the 80 million to rebuild their houses destroyed by soldiers during the incident.
Government has also erected four tombs in the area in memory of the 22 persons who lost their lives including women and children.
Two security posts have also been erected in the area as partial fulfilment government’s promise to improve security in the area so as to send away separatists from harassing and living with villagers.
The Governor also announced plans by government to organise an official burial for the victims depending on when the families will be ready.
“We have asked them to prepare themselves for the funerals. As soon as they are ready, they should report it to us so that we can come, assist them at the level of the graves,” Lele said. He also handed over government’s humanitarian aid comprising basic food items to the affected families.
Results of inquiry into the massacre ordered by President Biya was released Tuesday 21 April 2020 in which government back-pedalled her initial stance describing the allegations against soldiers as “fake”, to admit that soldiers were responsible for the killings and destruction.
The government said it will exhume the bodies and give the dead a “decent burial” as well as “establish the necessary evidence” to determine the truth, according to a communique signed by Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, a state minister in the presidency.
The report singled out three soldiers: a sergeant, gendarme and private first class to have masterminded the killing of civilians and tried to conceal their actions by starting fires and then submitted a false report on the incident as well as local “vigilante committee”, members of which have not been identified, and a battalion commander who failed to supervise the operation.
"The terrorists were engaged in all sorts of abuses against the local population (cattle rustling, rape, assaults, etc.) which warranted an intervention,” the statement added.
Ngarbuh village was targeted by security forces since it had become a logistics centre for “secessionist terrorists”, supplying arms, ammunition and fuel, according to a government statement about the inquiry.
By Doh Bertrand Nua
No comments:
Post a Comment