Baga Massacre: The Missing Item in the Report

Baga massacre is only different this time round because it has occurred in 2013, and in a different location. Regrettably, we have witnessed  previous massacres and ongoing indiscriminate killings in Nigeria which  have not been accounted for. This is also in addition to numerous man made disasters in different parts of the country, in which figures are estimated in varying proportions by different interest groups and government agencies. The usual motion  by those in authority is a quick and despicable mass burial, and thereafter, we never get to know the exact number of victims and whom they are. Victims of these mindless disasters, like in all disasters, deserve to be identified; they deserve the respect, dignity and right of "listening" to their remains tell us whom they are, what happened, how it happened, and what caused their death. This is what forensic autopsy does in disasters or massacres or in any forensic investigation of death. A good number of answers will be provided if a proper autopsy is carried out on the deceased, and one vital information that is both a matter of human right and dignity and also of crucial clue to understanding the circumstance of event is proper identification of victims. In our usual hurry to "move on", these victims are buried in mass graves like animal remains, and the lives of their loved ones are thereby "suspended" indefinitely in search for answers that may never come.

The regular reports that are submitted to government by relevant agencies do not contain the names of victims of such massacres or disasters, as the case may be. Figures are just figures and worse still, are even wide estimates as if dealing with mere objects. But we can identify with a name. A name is a relation of someone-a father, mother, sister, brother, son, husband, wife etc. The impact of a name (and not a figure) brings home the implication of an irreparable loss. It is a 100% loss to a family, a community and a nation. This is what is usually missing in the disaster report that government receives. The reports are usually hollow, without soul and without the essence of humanity. We cannot understand fully what happened to the victims of Baga massacre until a forensic autopsy is conducted on ALL of the remains. It is not too late to do so. Even if the bodies have been buried, they could still be exhumed and accorded appropriate examination as we "listen" to what they have to tell us about that fateful day in Baga. It may be a long and meticulous process, but it's a yield of TRUTH we cannot afford to sacrifice on the altar of "convenience"; it is human right and dignity for the deceased; it's proper closure for their families and friends; and it's soul searching for a nation that desperately needs a rediscovery and a true identify. If government is ready to follow through the right procedures in death investigation through forensic autopsy and related processes, we can mobilize appropriate personnel for the task at any time.