Borno Attack: CDS May Set Up Commission Of Inquiry

The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim may set up a commission of inquiry to further investigate the deadly attack on the Air Force Base on Monday and to find out if there is any complicity or sabotage.

Terrorists suspected to be members of the outlawed Boko Haram had destroyed the 33 Artilerry Barracks and the Air Force Base in Maiduguri burnt three aircraft and two helicopters among other military machinery and razed down buildings.

As exclusively reported yesterday by LEADERSHIP, allegations of sabotage were flowing around and this has led the CDS to ask a team of fact-finding mission to visit the scene.

But a source told LEADERSHIP last night that, “The Chief of Defence Staff has in a swift response to the dastardly attack ordered a team led by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal (Alex Sabundu) Badeh to visit Maiduguri to examine the level of the damage done to the military installations there and the casualty involved on our side, if any”.

The team has submitted, what is described as a routine report to the CDS.

Speaking further, a senior officer said, “the commission of inquiry may have to follow up with the routine investigation as soon as possible to investigate the whole scenario especially the factors responsible, is there any case of sabotage or negligence of duty by anyone and make recommendations of how to prevent a future re-occurrence”.

The source said if there is any established case of negligence or sabotage, those indicted would be recommended for court martial.

Meanwhile Air Marshal Badeh has returned to Abuja and has ordered the replacement of the two MI 35 Helicopters that were destroyed. He was said to have briefed the CDS immediately he arrived at the Defence Headquarters.

The NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas disclosed that a lot of damaged was wrecked on the Air Force Base but against all the speculations, he said only two airmen were wounded and they have been discharged from the hospital. He also disclosed that one of the two Helicopters that are replacing the damaged one has arrived while the other would be in Maiduguri latest at the weekend “to enable them continue with the operation there”.

The Director of Information, Defence Headquarters, Brigadier General Chris Olukolade who was part of the fact finding team confirmed that the team was back in Abuja. He said what the team did was “a routine investigation of the incident and that has been done. As to setting up of a panel of inquiry, the report of the team and other factors would determine if there is a need for such a commission”.

A top officer at the DHQ disclosed that the timing and the nature of the attack have given room to suspicion of sabotage because “our troops were getting set to launch what would have been a final onslaught on the camps of the terrorists when they struck, apparently to stop the attack.”

Source: Leadership