BOKO HARAM: Dead Police Men Yet To Receive Compensation?

The families narrated their ordeal.
Some officers of the Kano State Police Command on Thursday lamented the failure of the federal government to pay any compensation to families of police officers killed during an insurgent attack, 16 months ago.
About 40 police officers were among the 192 people killed when terrorists struck in Kano on January 20, 2012. The Boko Haram later claimed responsibility for the multiple bombings and killings.
The challenges of the families of the victims were raised at the Bompai headquarters of the Kano State Police Command during the visit of Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North led by Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki.
The authorities of Kano Command said families of the slain officers have not received any form of support from the government since the unfortunate incident.
They said the government support would have assisted in cushioning the effects of the families’ anguish.
The Committee was told that the Command lost 40 officers in the attack while a total of 192 persons were killed, including security personnel from the Department of State Security Services (DSSS), Immigration, and Customs.
The Kano Police Command also said that over 6000 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) have been intercepted by the Command’s Bomb Disposal Unit.
The amnesty committee members were taken round the Police headquarters where they inspected assorted explosives seized from suspected insurgents.
The committee members also chatted with the bereaved families of the slain police officers during which the chairman of the Committee promised that efforts would be geared towards their immediate compensation.
Mr. Turaki told the bereaved families that, “you are not going to be abandoned, you are not going to be rejected, we will take your case to the Federal Government; and through our recommendations, Mr. President will surely attend to your needs and support you.”
He added that the government is not insensitive to their plights and therefore would ensure that their families, particularly, the children won’t suffer.
“They will be well taken care of in terms of their education and other welfare,” he said.
He also used the occasion to evaluate the gains so far recorded by the Committee, saying that the Federal Government’s decision to release the vulnerable suspects of the Boko Haram sect in various detention centres across the country was part of the Committee’s recommendation and measures towards ensuring speedy resolution of the conflict.
He said that their mission to Kano was to have interactive session with stakeholders, saying “we have received more information, more advice that will enable us go about the assignment with more sense of understanding.”
He also cleared the air on the notion that the Emergency Rule in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa would jeopardize the activities of the Committee, pointing out that, “there is no contradiction between the Emergency Rule and the Committee.”
“Nigeria is not at war. Even in countries where there is war, dialogue is also applied,” he said.
“No responsible government will sit down and allow a group of individuals to threaten lives and properties. The issue is that those who want to take the option of dialogue will have it; and those who want to continue to fight will continue to fight.”
Source: Premium Times