Human right organisation Amnesty International in a fresh report said about 381 civilians were killed by the dreaded Boko Haram sect in Nigeria and Cameroon in five months.  According to the organisation, its data showed a comparative increase in Boko Haram attacks between April to early September 2017 as against the corresponding period in 2016.

This message is timely and should not be ignored. On June o5, 2017, the Senator representing Borno North, Senator Abubakar Kyari while speaking on the floor of the Senate declared that the Boko Haram sect is far from being defeated as they still kill people in his senatorial district. The Nigerian Army in a swift reaction described the statement as untrue. Three weeks later, on July 25, 2017, Boko Haram kidnapped some lecturers of University of Maiduguri in a deadly attack that left many dead.

Alioune Tine, Amnesty International Director for West and Central Africa said, “Boko Haram is once again committing war crimes on a huge scale, exemplified by the depravity of forcing young girls to carry explosives with the sole intention of killing as many people as they possibly can. This wave of shocking Boko Haram violence, propelled by a sharp rise in suicide bombings, highlights the urgent need for protection and assistance for millions of civilians in the Lake Chad region. Governments in Nigeria, Cameroon and beyond must take swift action to protect them from this campaign of terror.”

The Federal Government, especially the Nigerian Military must not kick this report into the dustbin all in its bid to maintain its rhetoric that the terrorists have been defeated. It should swing into action and ensure the sect is flushed out. More importantly, the FG must endeavour to bring to book the sponsors of the sect.

Editor