Boko Haram: 10,000 civilians died in Army custody – Amnesty International

This alarming figure was disclosed during a press conference in Maiduguri on Thursday by the Country Director of Amnesty International, Malam Isa Sunusi, who emphasized the urgent need for justice and accountability.

The human rights organisation highlighted the devastating toll of the conflict on civilians and urged the Nigerian government to address the widespread violations of human rights.

Sunusi stated that achieving justice for those whose lives have been shattered by Boko Haram and military operations is key to bringing the protracted conflict to an end.

Amnesty International has also escalated its efforts by filing a case at the International Criminal Court (ICC in The Hague, alleging crimes against humanity committed in the North-East region.

These include war crimes and systemic abuses perpetrated by both Boko Haram insurgents and Nigerian military forces.

The organisation accused the military of treating individuals from Boko Haram-controlled areas as suspected insurgents, often with devastating consequences.

“Amnesty International has documented numerous violations by government forces, including intentional attacks on civilians, indiscriminate killings, extrajudicial executions, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence,” Sunusi revealed.

A 2015 report by Amnesty International concluded that the Nigerian military likely pursued a policy of widespread and systematic attacks on civilian populations, amounting to crimes against humanity. These alleged crimes include murder, extermination, imprisonment, torture, enforced disappearances, and gender-based persecution.

“At least 10,000 people have died in military custody since the conflict in North-east Nigeria began,” Amnesty International said in a report documented in response to the military atrocities in its operations in the theatre.

The 144-page report made available to newsmen at the conference also accused Boko Haram of killing thousands of civilians during attacks on towns and villages and carrying out widespread abductions, especially of girls, boys and younger women.

“Attacks on schools, teachers and students, including their abduction, have been committed so as to prevent people, especially children, from receiving what Boko Haram considers a “Western” education.

“Boko Haram” is generally translated from Hausa as “Western education is forbidden.

“Throughout the conflict, Boko Haram has committed war crimes and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, including murder; attacks on civilians and civilian objects; indiscriminate attacks; disproportionate attacks; torture; cruel treatment; conscription (including through abductions) and use of child soldiers under the age of 15; attacks on buildings dedicated to education; pillage; sexual slavery; rape; and attacks on humanitarian workers,” the report, titled ‘Girls Survivors of Boko Haram and Military Abuses in North-east Nigeria,’ said.

“Beside that, our research shows that the experience of women is very unique. For example, there are many girls who were abducted or trafficked and at the end of the day ended up with Boko Haram and they were forced into sex slavery, and many of them had kids with the insurgents.

“When they escaped from the Boko Haram enclave they ended up in the hands of the military and in some cases they also experienced another round of atrocities.

“So, the girls and young women in the Northeast suffered horrific abuses in Boko Haram captivity and many survivors arbitrarily detained and subsequently neglected by the Nigerian authorities.

“And these girls have been sending one clear message, during our research, that they want to rebuild their lives. The Boko Haram use these young girls, they called them wives, and forcefully married them, subjected into many years of domestic slavery, sexual violence and forced pregnancy.

“In fact, in the course of our research we discovered that those girls that tried to have contraceptives were severely punished by the insurgents. These are the things that we should never forget and we believe that the government should do something.

“The girls that escaped from the insurgents returned to the government control areas, and the crimes that they endured had long lasting consequences that are specific to their ages and gender, including health implications, lack of access to education as well as stigma and rejection by their families and communities.”