The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on the Nigeria Army to compensate families of civilians its personnel allegedly killed in Abasari Community in Borno State.
A member of the NHRC Governing Council, Kemi Okonyedo, made the demand on Friday at the presentation of an investigative panel on human rights violations in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East report to Army leadership.
According to the Daily Post, Okonyedo alleged civilians were intentionally killed in Abasari Community by personnel of the Army during operations in the North East.
Recall that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in February 2023 constituted a special investigative panel to probe a report by an international news agency, Reuters, that the military ran a secret abortion programme in its fight against terrorists in the North East in the last 10 years, and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) allegations of mass killing in Borno State.
While the panel dismissed the rape and abortion, it indicted Army for allegedly killing civilians.
Naijaonpoint reported that the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa when he received the report on 9th November commended the panel for exonerating the Nigeria Army from the allegations of rape and abortion.
General Musa’s statement read, “The Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Gwabin Musa has hailed the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter Insurgency in the North East for exonerating the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) from indictments by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Reuters regarding allegations on forceful abortions and other infractions in the North East.
“It could be recalled that the report of the panel specifically stated that the allegations of systematic abortions, torture, rape and extra juducial killings levelled against the AFN were false.
“The CDS therefore commends the 7-man panel led by Justice Abdu Aboki (rtd) for painstakingly carrying out a thorough job since its inauguration in March 2023 by the Nigerian Human Rights Commission.
“General Musa wishes to seize this opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the defence of human rights and resolve to ensure peace reign in the country.”