Nigerian security forces have carried out serious human rights abuses in their campaign against the terrorist Boko Haram sect, Amnesty International says.
The rights group, in a report released Thursday, said Nigerian security forces have extrajudicially executed, detained without trial or charge and forced the disappearance of hundreds of people accused of links to the Boko Haram sect.
Since July 2009, the Boko Haram Islamic sect have carried out increasingly deadly terror attacks across Northern Nigeria and the capital city, Abuja. Their targets are mainly churches, government establishment, media houses and security agents. The group claimed responsibility for the August 2010 bombing of the United Nation’s headquarters in Abuja.
A rough estimate of the deaths resulting from the group’s attacks is put at over 1500. But the amnesty International said the cycle of attacks and counter attacks has been marked by unlawful violence on both the government and the terrorist group’s side, leading to a devastating human rights abuses on the people trapped in the middle.
The rights group blamed the Nigerian government of failing to adequately prevent or investigate attacks or to bring perpetrators to justice. It also accused the government of neglecting victims.
“People are living in a climate of fear and insecurity, vulnerable to attack from Boko Haram and facing human rights violations at the hands of the very state security forces which should be protecting them,” the group’s secretary general, Salil Shetty said.
Reports of people being shot dead by the army or beaten to death in detention were particularly common in Borno and Yobe states, Amnesty said.
“We are in the middle of two things. If you take a look at your right or you take a look at your left, both of them they are deadly. It is a lose lose situation,” a civil engineer, aged 32 from Maiduguri, whose brother was killed by security forces in June 2012 told Amnesty.
– Premium Times
FINALLY
Its no secret that Boko Haram is a terrorist group that have brought distraught to the peaceful existence of Nigeria and Nigerians but yet their oppression i will say is at par with the treatment of government authorities especially the JTF of Nigerians especially in the northern region. Thousands have been accused falsely, killed and displaced from their homes by government authority with no proper trial and no conviction. Citizens live in fear of either group. The situation brings to mind the saying when two elephants wrestle it is the little ants that suffer. And yet Nigerian media is silent on what is happening. Atleast the international community is taking note maybe something will be done about both groups.
…we should not fool ourselves, it is a known fact that the power blocks are desperate for economic exploitation and subsequently disunity of this noble country. the bottom line is that, the Amnesty international is indirectly being sponsured. let us be wise.
Please I hate a sitiuation where the west think they know it al. I don' t get what Amnesty Inter'l is saying, may be they don't understand the semantic meaning of Boko Haram(western education is forbiden). What dialogue have will some one who, @ this jet age is not willing to be reasonable -Boko Haram! If the government is puting things in place to bring peace to this part of the world, who are they to question that move. Do they know how many Police, military and other paramilitry officers and innocent people have been killed by this cold hearted beings? It is VERY SAD our innocent brothers are killed too but if now as it is BK is calling for a cease fire, then they should look @ the positive aspect of the whole sitiuation and not bleam our security operativies.
who to be blame boko haram or the security agent ?
who to be bh or the security agent ?
U don't possibly hav d slightest idea on d gravity of violence, innocent deaths and threatening attacks on citizens and security operatives and that's y your notion on d issue is administrative and not field oriented.