Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, says there’s no way he would have justified the killing of 45 farmers in Borno because he’s also a human with ‘ton of compassion and empathy’.
Garba said this in reaction to the backlash his initial comment on the incident stirred.
On Saturday, suspected Boko Haram members invaded Zabarmari community in Jere local government area of Borno, and killed more than 40 farmers.
Shehu had, during an interview with BBC on Monday, said the farmers were killed by the insurgents because they did not get security clearance to go to farm.
He added that the military is in “full control” of all parts of the state.
His comment, however, created uproar on social media, with many Nigerians saying he’s implicitly justifying the insurgents’ horrendous action.
In a series of tweets later on Monday, the presidential spokesperson his initial comment on the incident was not out of disregard and insensitivity to the slain farmers.
He said his comment was in response to a question posed to him on security operations in the north-east.
He explained that Zabarmari marshlands are dotted with land mines and movement is usually subjected to “military oversight”.
“Today, I found myself leading the trends in the social media for the wrong reasons. The State of Borno is essentially a military zone up till now that we are talking and much of what people do, much of where they go are governed by the exigencies of security,” he wrote.
“Routinely, traders, administration officials and even UN agencies get the green light to go to many of the areas to avoid trouble. Information from security agencies says that the Zabarmari marshlands are infested with land mines and movements in around those areas subject to military oversight.
“No one is delighted with the massacre in Zabarmari and there is nothing anybody will gain by playing blame games. The question I tried to answer on BBC was: did the security sign off on the area as being free of mines and terrorists? The honest answer is, no.
“I was merely explaining the mode of military operations in the war zone of the Northeast. There are areas that are still volatile that require security clearance which is intended to put people out of harm’s way.
“When tragedies occur, questions arise in terms of how something happened in order to avoid future recurrence. Informing the military of our movements in an area of volatility and uncertainty is intended to preserve public safety.
“Explaining why something happened doesn’t mean I have no sympathy for the victims. I was just explaining the military procedures on the safe movement of the people and not supporting the death of the victims.”
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