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                 Rights Group Raises Nigerian Cover-Up Concerns

   Human Rights Watch says satellite photos of a northern Nigerian town
   support reports of widespread burning of buildings following clashes
   between Islamist militants and government security forces last month.
   The group said Wednesday the images showed 2,275 destroyed buildings in
   the town of Baga, where the Nigerian Red Cross reported the fighting
   also killed at least 187 people.
   The Nigerian military disputes both figures.
   Human Rights Watch called on the government to carry out an impartial
   investigation. Its Africa director, Daniel Bekele, said "glaring
   discrepancies" between reports from Baga and statements by military
   officials raise concerns the military is covering up abuses.
   A spokesman for President Goodluck Jonathan said in a statement Tuesday
   that the president had commended several government agencies, including
   the Military High Command, after receiving a preliminary investigation
   report.
   Reuben Abati said the probe found the reported death toll "cannot be
   substantiated" and that there is a lot of misinformation about the
   situation. It further says that "a number" of buildings were destroyed,
   but that there are far fewer than 1,000 total houses in Baga.
   Locals said the clashes began when troops surrounded a mosque that
   allegedly was sheltering members of the radical Islamist sect Boko
   Haram.
   A shootout ensued, with militants using heavy weaponry, including
   rocket-propelled grenades. Soldiers and local officials say the
   militants used civilians as human shields, while residents said
   soldiers deliberately set fires during the attack.
   Human Rights Watch said the number of buildings that were destroyed and
   the widespread nature of the damage point to the fires being
   intentionally set, and not being accidentally sparked by
   rocket-propelled grenades.
   In addition to analyzing the satellite photos, Human Rights Watch says
   it interviewed seven Baga residents. Their accounts include seeing
   soldiers dragging a man out of a house and shooting him, and soldiers
   setting fire to homes.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/rights-group-raises-nigerian-coverup-
   concerns/1652223.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/rights-group-raises-nigerian-coverup-concerns/1652223.html