NIGERIA-VIOLENCE/ARMY Nigerian army denies human rights abuses, says "has nothing to hide "

Record ID: 151772

  • Title: NIGERIA-VIOLENCE/ARMY Nigerian army denies human rights abuses, says "has nothing to hide "
  • Date: 19th June 2015
  • Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (JUNE 19, 2015) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** VARIOUS OF NIGERIA ARMY OFFICIALS SEATED AT BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHIEF OF ADMINISTRATION IN NIGERIAN ARMY, MAJOR GENERAL ADAMU BABA-ABUBAKAR, SAYING: "The military has a constitutional and moral responsibility to protect Nigerian citizens and cannot suddenly engage in mass murde
  • Embargoed: 4th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVABOHP2Y4ZZO7XRADPGRUIIV20B
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The Nigerian army on Friday (June 19) held a news conference to address an Amnesty International report accusing the military of human rights abuses, allegations the army denied, saying "the military has nothing to hide or cover up".
    Amnesty International said on June 4 that more than 8,000 people have died while being held prisoner by the army in the campaign against militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
    The human rights group said many of the prisoners were executed and others died due to starvation, overcrowding, torture and denial of medical assistance.
    Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has killed thousands and left 1.5 million people displaced. The group wants to establish an Islamic caliphate in the northeast of Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy and top oil exporter.
    "The military has a constitutional and moral responsibility to protect Nigerian citizens and cannot suddenly engage in mass murder as portrayed by Amnesty International allegations," Major General Adamu Baba-Abubakar, the Chief of Administration for the Nigerian Army, told the news conference in Abuja.
    "It will be recalled that upon the written request from Amnesty International to the military to comment on the allegations, the military promptly commenced investigations into these allegations. Consequently, several investigations on these allegations are ongoing," he added.
    Amnesty said Nigerian troops had rounded up thousands of men and boys, some as young as nine years old, in Boko Haram strongholds. Many of those held were executed or died in custody if their families were unable to pay a bribe.
    More than 1,200 people were extrajudicially executed and more than 7,000 starved or died of disease in severely overcrowded cells, Amnesty said.
    Many of the people executed were shot dead inside detention facilities, despite presenting no danger, in violation of international humanitarian laws, Amnesty said.
    "The military requested Amnesty International to provide a member for the investigation panel to look into the allegations, but the invitation was not honoured by Amnesty International. The essence of offering Amnesty International membership of this investigation panel was to guarantee fairness and justice while proving to the world that the military has nothing to hide or cover up," Baba-Abubakar said.
    Amnesty's 133-page report was based on about 400 interviews with sources, including victims, eyewitnesses and members of the armed forces, as well as videos and photographs.
    A US State Department official said Nigeria should take the report seriously and investigate the allegations.
    The British High Commission in Abuja said it regularly raises human rights issues with Nigeria but was encouraged by new president Muhammadu Buhari's inaugural speech that reforms would be made to improve the military's behaviour and strengthen sanctions on such abuses.
    Buhari has vowed to defeat Boko Haram and was holding talks earlier this month with his counterparts in neighbouring Niger and Chad on how best to tackle the insurgency.
    The militants controlled a swathe of territory around the size of Belgium at the start of the year but have lost most of it in recent months due to the combined efforts of troops from Nigeria and Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
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