Three human rights advocacy groups, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project; Enough is Enough, and BudgIT, have written to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, demanding the breakdown of the spending on different military operations between 2015 and 2017.
The groups want to know the budget for each of the operations, how much released and the amount spent.
They listed the military operations that were of interest to them as Operation Lafiya Dole, Operation Safe Haven, Operation Python Dance, Operation Ruwan Wuta, Operation Delta Safe, Operation Mesa, Operation Harbin Kunama, Operation Awatse, Operation Tsera Teku and Operation Crocodile Smile.
A statement on Sunday said the three groups sent a joint request to Buratai.
They urged him to use his “good offices and leadership position to provide information on the 2015, 2016 and 2017 budget implementation reports of the Nigerian Army, including the amounts released and expended in fiscal years 2015, 2016 and 2017 for the various operations the army carried out.”
They argued that the information they sought from Buratai could not be said to be classified and threatened to go to court if Buratai fails to oblige them with the information within seven days.
“Several billions of naira allocated to the military to defend the country and protect its people have neither contributed to improving the ability of Nigerian soldiers to fight Boko Haram and other armed groups nor provided the much-needed security, especially for Nigerians in the North-East of the country.
“Transparency of the budget process and its implementation is an essential condition to achieve good governance. The reports, if provided and published, will shed light on military spending and put to rest, once and for all, the perceived lack of transparency and accountability in the spending of military budgets.”
The demand by the groups came barely two days after suspected Book Haram terrorists carried out another attack on Nigerian Army troops. In the attack in the Gudumbali area of northern Borno State, the attackers reportedly disguised as a humanitarian assistance team.
Our correspondent learnt the terrorists opened fire at the base, killed a soldier and destroyed the army’s armoured personnel carrier and another truck belonging to the unit.
The Boko Haram fighters were said to have carried out the attack on Friday during a distribution of relief materials in the Gudumbali area.
The army said on Sunday that troops of Operation Lafiya Dole repelled the infiltration by the Boko Haram terrorists, shooting some of them dead.
“A statement by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Col Onyema Nwachukwu, on Sunday, said the base had been reinforced and normalcy had been restored to the area.
Nwachukwu said, “The terrorists took advantage of the ongoing distribution of relief materials at Gudumbali and opened fire on troops’ location which was followed by rapid fire from other terrorists in gun trucks along Gudumbali-Kukawa axis. The troops, however, fought gallantly and outmanoeuvred the attackers, inflicting heavy casualties on them.
“Unfortunately, a soldier made the supreme sacrifice during the encounter, while another was wounded in action. A Cobra Armoured Personnel Carrier and a truck belonging to the unit were damaged. The troops have since been reinforced and normalcy has been brought to the general area.”
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