- Title: NIGERIA: Witnesses see bodies of Islamist suspects dumped in street
- Date: 17th November 2012
- Summary: MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA (RECENT) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (AMATEUR VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS) BODIES HEAPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET POLICEMEN DROPPING MORE BODIES ON THE STREET FROM A TRUCK
- Embargoed: 2nd December 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Crime
- Reuters ID: LVA7M5Q98RZPKUELU4M2WDYWP5S0
- Story Text: Residents of Nigeria's strife-stricken remote northeast town of Maiduguri recently watched in horror as the military dumped dozens of bodies of suspected members of Islamist sect Boko Haram in the middle of a busy street.
An eye witness who requested not to be identified for security concerns said the bodies were dragged out of a truck and thrown into the street and left there in full view of the public.
Maiduguri is the stronghold of the Islamic sect Boko Haram which has waged war against the central government, carrying out a spate of bombings of churches and government installations across the northern part of the country.
Boko Haram says it wants to create an Islamic state in Nigeria and its fighters have killed hundreds in bomb and gun attacks targeting security forces, politicians and civilians since launching an uprising in 2009.
The sect has become the No. 1 security threat to Africa's top energy producer.
A recent Amnesty International report accused that Nigeria's security forces of brutal tactics in the fight against the sect and warned this could build support for Boko Haram outside its extremist core.
Experts say the military's heavy-handed approach to tackling the insurgency, is driving desperate youths into the arms of the sect.
The report said a "significant number" of people accused of links with Boko Haram had been executed after arrest without due process, while hundreds were detained without charge or trial and many of those arrested disappeared or were later found dead. - Copyright Holder: AMATEUR VIDEO (CAN SELL)
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