Amnesty rebukes Nigerian military for dropping war crimes inquiry
June 16, 2017
Amnesty International criticised Nigeria’s military on Thursday for dropping an investigation into senior officers accused of war crimes in the northeast during the conflict with Islamist Boko Haram insurgents.
The eight-year battle with the militant group, which seeks to carve out a “caliphate” in the northeast, has been rife with human rights violations by the parties involved, including the military, Boko Haram and vigilante organisations, aid groups say. Those include extrajudicial killings, rape, the use of child soldiers and detentions of people without charge.
Late on Wednesday, Nigeria’s military issued a report on the findings of its investigation that said there was insufficient evidence to charge the officers, some of whom are now retired, for any abuses.
The military murdered, starved, suffocated and tortured 8 000 people under the watch of certain senior officers, Amnesty International said in its 2015 report alleging the war crimes.
