DHQ: No civilian casualty in Benue operation — only bandits were killed

The defence headquarters (DHQ) says its troops did not kill residents of Konshisha in Benue state.

The military had said 11 of its men were killed following an attack by suspected gunmen in the area.

There have been unconfirmed reports that troops were reinforced to the area for a “revenge operation”.

But in a statement on Friday, Onyema Nwachukwu, DHQ spokesperson, said the reinforcement team went after suspected bandits who were occupying houses deserted by the villagers.

He said such houses were burnt by the troops, adding that using villagers’ houses for hideouts was one of the tactics of the bandits to draw negative comments on the military.

He said the bandits should be blamed for the destruction, since they used the settlements as hideouts.

According to him, it will be wrong to blame soldiers who are in Konshisha on legitimate duties, when some of them were murdered in cold blood.

Nwachukwu said some of the recent photos of razed buildings were of those burnt during earlier communal clashes between Konshisha and Oju, “all of which the sponsors of the mayhem are now blaming on the military”