The Nigerian Army is probably sick and tired of the activities of Amnesty International by now. Perhaps more than any other civil society group, Amnesty has constantly drawn attention to the human rights violations committed by the Nigerian military across the country, especially in the war against Boko Haram.

The latest example of this is in the aftermath of the army’s clashes with pro-Biafra protesters. May 31^st this year was the 50^th anniversary of the declaration of Biafra, and it was marked with demonstrations by those sympathetic to the Biafra cause. Amnesty says that the army fired on unarmed and peaceful protesters, rounding up many more.

The army’s response was predictable: they denied the report and then accused Amnesty of continuing their campaign against Nigeria’s security forces.

This is the wrong approach. If even one unarmed Nigerian citizen died, it warrants an investigation, never mind a hundred and fifty. We must learn to value life, and not to do so invites repercussions. The extrajudicial murder of Mohammed Yusuf in 2009 led to the Boko Haram insurgency that has led to the deaths of many soldiers. Violence by the state leads to violence against the state.

It is therefore in the army’s interest to cleanse its ranks of those that kill innocent citizens, rather than deflect genuine complaints by attacking the messenger.

Just after Muhammadu Buhari took office, Amnesty International released a major report detailing many violations, and requesting that the new President investigate senior military figures for war crimes. Buhari promised to consider the allegations, but no action has been taken since.

It is obvious that regarding human rights violations, the Nigerian army is not capable of self-cleansing, choosing instead to create an ‘us versus them’ siege mentality that helps no one. President Buhari should put together a panel of inquiry to get to the bottom of all the allegations and establish a truth and reconciliation committee for this purpose.

It is a good opportunity to realise once again that deploying the army among civilian populations is an aberration that has now been normalised. It is a holdover from the military era that is no longer relevant. The army are not equipped to deal with the demands of civilian policing. Already, they are deployed in 30 of 36 states, which stretches their operational capabilities.

The Nigerian Police should be trained and equipped to take full charge of civilian matters, while the army is withdrawn from such engagements to focus on external threats in line with their core mandate.

Most importantly, Nigeria should become a place where people can get justice.