NIGERIAN MILITARY OPERATION RESULTS IN CIVILIAN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000477

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W
STATE FOR DS/IP/AF
STATE FOR INR/AA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2015
TAGS: EPET KJUS NI PGOV PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: NIGERIAN MILITARY OPERATION RESULTS IN CIVILIAN
"COLLATERAL DAMAGE"

REF: LAGOS 276

Classified By: Consul General Brian L. Browne for Reasons 1.4 (D & E)

This is a Joint Consulate General - Embassy Abuja report.


1. (C) Summary: Bayelsa state representatives acknowledged
that innocent civilians were probably killed by Nigerian
soldiers on February 19 when the military raided the
community of Odioma in search of the killers of twelve
civilians two weeks before. Bayelsa state representatives
characterized the civilian deaths as regrettable "collateral
damage." They added that "mini-crises" such as Odioma were
routine Niger Delta occurrences. The National Senate has
established an investigative committee to examine the events.

-------------- --
"Cult" Group Kills 12. JTF Response Operation
Results In Civilian Deaths
-------------- --


2. (SBU) On February 3, armed men reportedly affiliated with
the "Teme" cult group killed twelve civilians, including four
local council members, who were attempting to mediate a
dispute between the Odioma and Obioku communities over
distribution of benefits from a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) with Shell Petroleum and Development Company (SPDC).
The Nigerian military Joint Task Force (JTF) responded to
this incident by raiding the community of Odioma to "fish
out" those responsible. (reftel)


3. (C) Two independent journalists told us the JTF likely
used excessive, indiscriminate firepower in its Odioma
operation. Village residents told the journalists the
military fired randomly into their homes and they were forced
to "seek refuge in the bush." The journalists confirmed they
saw photos of many burned houses and that hundreds had
clearly been displaced. The journalists could not confirm
the number of civilian deaths. Estimates, however, range
from a few dozen to several hundred.


4. (C) Senior-level Bayelsa State government officials
acknowledged to us that JTF members likely had killed
innocent civilians during the operation. They maintained
that the JTF met armed resistance when soldiers entered the
community. In responding to this resistance, civilians were
killed, state officials maintained. These state officials
characterized the deaths as regrettable, but necessary
"collateral damage." Bayelsa Sate Secretary General (SSG)
Steve Azaiki told us, "If you are driving a car with seven
passengers, and suddenly a person appears on the road in
front of you, you can either hit the person, or swerve to
avoid him but kill your passengers instead. The state had to
act to save the largest number of people. Though of course
we are sad that innocents were killed." Bayelsa state
governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha initially took a hard public
line defending the JTFs actions, but later publicly
apologized to Odioma village residents.


5. (C) In our private meeting, State officials brushed off
the Odioma incident as "routine Niger Delta violence." This
Day newspaper attributed similar sentiments to Governor
Alamieyeseigha. When asked about the National Senate
investigation into the incident, the governor reportedly
responded, "As far as we in the Niger Delta are concerned,
the Odioma crisis is one of such crises in the Niger Delta.
So, war is a routine. If the National Assembly has to react
to every situation, then clearly they will have no time to do
their legislative business in Abuja because everyday, those
of us on ground have to contend with one problem or the
other." Alamieyeyseigha assured, however, that the state
would provide the committee with all information available.

--------------
Nigerian Military Response to Allegations of
Human Rights Abuse
--------------


6. (S) A highly placed source in Ngerian Defense
Headquarters (DHQ) confirmed that DHQ team was sent to
Bayelsa to investigate the military's actions. The team was
authorized and funded by the Chief of Defense Staff and was
led by a Commodore representing DHQ with a Colonel for the
Army, a Group Captain for the Air Force, and Commander for
the Navy. The team returned to Abuja on Monday, March 14 and
a formal, written report is expected. No time frame,
however, for this report has been given.


7. (S) The DHQ source put the JTF's entry into Odioma in the
context of two years of communal violence between Odioma and
Obioku. He said the troops were fired on as they approached
Odioma and responded to that threat with force. The decision
to use force, he said, is delegated to the unit commander --
in this case a naval Lieutenant commander. The source would
not say who generated the order to move troops to Odioma.

--------------
Who are the Teme Boys?
--------------


8. (C) Prior to this incident, public and private sources we
spoke with said they had no prior knowledge of the Teme cult
group. Bayelsa state officials added that they were unaware
of the motive, if any, for the group's February 3 killing of
the 12-member peace delegation. When pressed, they said,
"Who knows with these cult groups. They are evil. Sometimes
they kill for no rational reason." Some press reports claim
that the group's leader, Osei Clever, is a political thug,
who had been financed and armed by the governor, but now
clearly was not under his control. Furthermore, there is
some doubt in some quarters as to whether Clever was behind
the killings since some of the 12 killed were also allegedly
Teme and rarely do Teme member kill one another.

--------------
Comment
--------------


9. (C) The Joint Task Force (JTF) operates in a very
confusing, chaotic battlespace in the Delta -- a roadless
area divided by swamps, creeks, and some dry land. Multiple
militant groups operate throughout the region and their
loyalties shift on a regular basis. Distinction between
friends and enemies is difficult at best. In this case, teh
JTF appears to have been responding to some level of real
threat from within the community.


10. (S) The swiftness of the DHQ response to the incident,
and its apparent independence, is encouraging and not at all
like previous responses to possibly human rights abuses. The
Chief of Defense Staff seems to have gotten the message about
accountability -- or is at least concerned about avoiding
additional criticisms and further sanctions.
BROWNE