Amnesty: 10,000 civilians killed in military custody amid Boko Haram conflict
Amnesty International has reported that at least 10,000 people have died in military custody since the start of the Boko Haram conflict in North-east Nigeria.
Speaking at a press conference in Maiduguri on Thursday, the organisation’s Country Director, Malam Isa Sunusi, emphasized the need for the government to ensure justice.
Sunusi noted that the war against Boko Haram could soon end if justice is delivered to those whose lives have been devastated by both Boko Haram and the military.
He stated that the organization had filed a case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague regarding alleged crimes against humanity in the North-east region.
“The Nigerian military has frequently treated anyone from, or emerging from, Boko Haram-controlled areas as, at the very least, a suspected Boko Haram member,” he added.
“Amnesty International has documented war crimes committed by government forces, including deliberate attacks on civilians, indiscriminate assaults that have killed or injured civilians, extrajudicial executions, torture, cruel treatment, rape, and sexual violence.
Furthermore, Amnesty International believes that members of the Nigerian military may have committed crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination, imprisonment, torture, rape, enforced disappearances, and gender-based persecution. This conclusion follows a 2015 report which suggested that the Nigerian military likely had a policy of systematically targeting civilian populations.”
Amnesty International’s report states that at least 10,000 people have died in military custody since the conflict in North-east Nigeria began. The 144-page document, presented at a press conference, also accuses Boko Haram of killing thousands of civilians during attacks on towns and villages, as well as carrying out widespread abductions, particularly of girls, boys, and young women.
The report highlights Boko Haram’s attacks on schools, teachers, and students, aiming to prevent education they deem “Western.” The group’s name, “Boko Haram,” is translated from Hausa as “Western education is forbidden.”
The report, titled Girls Survivors of Boko Haram and Military Abuses in North-east Nigeria, outlines Boko Haram’s war crimes and other serious violations of international law, including murder, attacks on civilians and civilian objects, indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, torture, cruel treatment, child soldier conscription, sexual slavery, rape, and assaults on humanitarian workers.
Amnesty International stated that in 2015, it found that Boko Haram had an organizational policy to systematically and widely attack civilian populations. In a series of reports since then, the organization has called for investigations into Boko Haram members for crimes against humanity, including murder, enslavement, imprisonment, torture, rape, sexual slavery, sexual violence, persecution, and forced marriage.
The Country Director emphasized the importance of the government rebuilding the lives of girls and young women who suffered from Boko Haram and military atrocities.
“We believe that the government’s rehabilitation efforts may not have fully addressed the needs of women. Why are they excluded?” he asked.
He also pointed out that the experiences of women, especially those abducted and trafficked by Boko Haram, are unique. Many girls were forced into sex slavery and, in some cases, had children with insurgents.
“When they escaped from Boko Haram’s enclave, many girls ended up in the hands of the military, where they faced another round of atrocities,” Amnesty International stated.
The report highlighted that these girls and young women in the Northeast suffered horrific abuses while in Boko Haram captivity, and many survivors were arbitrarily detained and neglected by Nigerian authorities.
“During our research, these girls consistently conveyed their desire to rebuild their lives. Boko Haram used them as ‘wives,’ forcing them into marriages and subjecting them to years of domestic slavery, sexual violence, and forced pregnancies,” the report continued.
It also revealed that girls who attempted to use contraceptives were severely punished by the insurgents. “These are atrocities we must never forget, and we believe the government must take action,” the report emphasized.
The girls who escaped and returned to government-controlled areas still faced long-lasting consequences, including health issues, limited access to education, and stigma and rejection from their families and communities.
“We know that many girls who return, often after being abducted or trafficked, are labeled as Boko Haram wives by their communities. This is a form of stigmatization,” Sunusi said.
He urged the Nigerian government to take the necessary steps to provide justice, address the atrocities, and help the survivors rebuild their lives.
“Despite some efforts at family reunification, the Nigerian government has largely failed to address the physical, psychological recovery, and social reintegration of these girls, as required by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, both of which Nigeria is a party to,” he added.
“This neglect is a serious issue, and we are here to call on the government to address it. The Nigerian government must do the right thing, including investigating and bringing to justice those responsible for the atrocities these girls endured,” Sunusi concluded.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at NeptunePrime.
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