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The Eight Demand By Borno Elders

The Borno Elders Forum made the following demands from the Federal Government of Nigeria, the United Nations and the International community.

1. A National Judicial Commission of Inquiry under an incorruptible judge from preferably the Southern Nigeria be set up to ask the immediate past President questions on why his administration refused to provide the military with the required functional and superior equipment whereas our sons and daughters were exposed to mass murder, severe injuries and grave destruction of our communities
2. If the former Government is found wanting it should be charged for genocide against the people of Borno State or at least criminal negligence at the International Criminal Court of Justice.

3. The retired CDS retired should also be asked why he kept silent when the military under his command was not provided with the right equipment. He had the option of speaking or resigning as he ought to have done in order to draw attention of the world and by that he would have saved lives of Borno people.

4. A list of citizens of Borno State killed from the time the issue of military capacity became in question, is compiled and relations of those killed are fully compensated for the death of their loved ones as a result of criminal negligence.

5. A list of soldiers sent on missions without being properly equipped and exposed to death at different battle fronts in Borno State, is also compiled and that they are specifically celebrated with their survivors fully compensated since their bread winners died not just in combat but out of negligence of those in authority.

6. An unreserved apology is tendered by the immediate past President and his service chiefs to the people of Borno State, especially those lost relations and also to Governor Kashim Shettima for all the humiliation he was made to suffer for telling the truth about capacity of the military at that time.

7. The President Muhammadu Buhari administration in constitutional collaboration with the National Assembly considers the need to set up a Presidential Armed Forces Capacity Monitoring and Evaluation Unit which could be directly supervised by the President, Commander In Chief in order to at all times, have accurate data of the capacity of Nigeria’s Armed Forces, monitoring military procurements and hardware and their deployments, so as to avert future discrepancies unless if of course, there is already an established system of this nature.

8. The current service chiefs should learn from their predecessors by building on their successes and avoiding their mistakes with regards to refusal to tell the nation the true situation of things where political leaders fail to meet critical needs of the military on matters of national security.

Finally, the Borno Elders Forum salute soldiers who laid their lives in defense of our sons and daughters. We remember them always for their supreme sacrifices, pray for the repose of their souls and the welfare of their survivors. We also salute all patriotic officers of all categories who genuinely worked with troops leading to the liberation of all captured territories. These officers include those who worked under the administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and those working under President Muhammadu Buhari's administration. We urge all sons and daughters of Borno State wherever they are to continually accord 100 percent support to our gallant armed forces and pray for them to succeed in their national assignment of keeping Borno safe and secured. We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to remain focused and not to be distracted in the fight against insurgency. We all Governor Kashim Shettima to continually accord complete cooperation to the Federal Government and complement the efforts of the Federal Government where necessary. We pray that peace returns to Borno, the entire northeast and Nigeria at large. May Allah bless our dear Borno State, our sons and daughters and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thank you.

Signed
Ambassador Usman Gaji Galtimari, CON
Chairman, BORNO ELDERS FORUM

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