Olaleye Aluko, Abuja

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, on Wednesday received the report of an army panel set up to investigate the allegations by a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Theophilus Danjuma, of military collusion with herdsmen to perpetrate the killings in Takum, Taraba State.

Buratai, who received the six-page report at the army headquarters in Abuja, said the army authorities would make the findings public shortly, and to the higher authorities for further action.

The army chief had on April 9 set up the panel, headed by Major General John Nimyel (Rtd), to investigate the claims by Danjuma, saying that such statements “could damage the reputation of the military and could therefore not be ignored.”

Speaking at the presentation on Wednesday, the panel Chairman, Nimyel, said the report was “painstakingly thorough,” after the panel conducted its investigations and held numerous consultations with stakeholders in several parts of Taraba State.

Buratai said the reports would help the army to identify the loopholes in the operations and rectify them to address the present challenges.

He said, “We will take every aspect of this report very seriously; we will make this report available to the appropriate superior authorities.

“We will also make this report available to the media so that they will see clearly what transpired and see whether the allegations against the military, particularly the Nigerian Army, are grounded or not; if the allegations are true or not.”