How 10,000 people died in military custody — Amnesty Int’l

By Miracle Ogunde

A human rights organisation, Amnesty International has accused Nigeria military and Boko Haram of many abuses, saying military personnel violated rules of engagement while carrying out their assignments in the region.

The organization, alleged that no fewer than 10,000 people have died in military custody since the Boko Haram conflict in the North-east started.

Its Country Director, Mr Isa Sanusi, who disclosed this at a briefing in Maiduguri, regretted how the military denied the involvement of its personnel in atrocity after being served with the Amnesty’s report before it was made public.

Sanusi, who also announced that the human rights body had already filed a case before the International Court of Justice, ICJ, at Hague over alleged crime against humanity in the North-east, equally unveiled a 144-page report, titled “Help us build our lives,” Girls Survivors of Boko Haram and Military Abuses in the North-east Nigeria,”

The organization said Boko Haram had killed thousands of civilians during attacks on government-controlled towns and villages and carried out widespread abductions, especially of girls, boys and younger women.

“Attacks on schools, teachers and students, including their abduction, have been committed so as to prevent people, especially children, from receiving what Boko Haram considers a ‘Western’ education.

“Boko Haram is generally translated from Hausa as ‘Western education is forbidden. Boko Haram has committed war crimes and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, including murder; attacks on civilians and civilian objects; indiscriminate attacks; disproportionate attacks; torture; cruel treatment; conscription (including through abductions) and use of child soldiers under the age of 15; attacks on buildings dedicated to education,” the report said.

The body said it had in 2015 found that Boko Haram had an organisational policy to attack civilian population, adding that these attacks were systematic and widespread.

“Consequently, in a series of reports since 2015, Amnesty International has concluded that Boko Haram members should also be investigated for the crimes against humanity of murder; enslavement; imprisonment; torture; rape; sexual slavery; sexual violence; persecution; and forced marriage as “other inhumane acts,” the report said.

According to the report, in response to the military atrocities in its operations against the armed group (Boko Haram) “the Nigerian military has often treated anyone in, or coming out of Boko Haram-controlled areas as, at minimum, a suspected Boko Haram member.

“Amnesty International has documented war crimes by government forces, including intentional attacks against the civilian population; indiscriminate attacks that have killed or injured civilians; extrajudicial executions, which also constitute the war crime of murder; torture; cruel treatment; rape; and sexual violence.

“In addition, Amnesty International believes that individuals in the Nigerian military may have committed the crimes against humanity of murder; extermination; imprisonment; torture; rape; enforced disappearance; and gender-based persecution, after having concluded in a 2015 report that the Nigerian military likely had a policy to attack a civilian population and had done so in a widespread and systematic nature.

“At least 10,000 people have died in military custody since the conflict in north-east Nigeria began.”

It also admitted that the Nigerian authorities have made improvements in recent years, including in much less frequent arbitrary detention of people, especially of women and children, suspected of being affiliated with Boko Haram.’

Amnesty International research also found that the Nigerian government failed to investigate and prosecute suspects of crimes under international law.

“For the last decade, Boko Haram has devastated the lives of people across north-east Nigeria, treating anyone in government-controlled areas as the ‘enemy’, often making no effort to distinguish civilians from Nigerian forces,” the report added.

However, efforts to get the reaction of defence headquarters to the allegation last night proved abortive, as defence spokesman could not be reached on phone.