Group accuses FG of continuous human rights abuse

This was disclosed by the organization’s Country Director in Nigeria, Mohammed Ibrahim during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, The Nation reports.

“The conflict between the military and the armed group Boko Haram continued, resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians and over two million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the end of the year,” he said.

“Torture and other ill-treatment by the police and security forces were widespread. Demolition of informal settlements let to the forced eviction of thousands of people, death sentence continued to be imposed, although no executions were reported.

“The military committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in its response to Boko Haram between 2011 and 2015, with extrajudicial executions by the military, arrest of people during screening operations, where suspects detained by the military had no access to their families or lawyers and were not brought before the court.

“Boko Haram continued to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity in northeast Nigeria, killing thousands of civilians especially the attack on Baga, satellite images revealed that more than 3,700 buildings had been damaged or destroyed in the attack.

“In July, the police announced they were reviewing the Forces Orders, including Force Order 237, which allows police officers to shoot suspects and detainees who attempt to avoid arrest or escape. Many police divisions, including the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and the Forced Criminal Investigation Division, kept rooms where suspects were tortured while being interrogated,” he added.

The allegations against the Nigerian government are contained in Amnesty International’s 2015 annual report.