Nigerian military Friday said the report of the Amnesty International, claiming gross human rights abuses in the north eastern part of Nigeria is not consistent with the reality on ground.
However, it assured that the security authorities would ensure that the allegations as it affects the government forces would be duly investigated.
The Amnesty International had claimed in its report on Nigeria that more than 1,500 people were killed in armed conflict in North-Eastern Nigeria in early 2014.
The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major General Chris Olukolade, in a statement said the report contains very serious allegations of human right abuses in the north eastern part of Nigeria.
He however viewed the report as a new dimension to the well-known fact that the security operation in that part of the country was necessitated by the need to address the gross abuse of human rights being perpetrated against Nigerians by the terrorists.
Olukolade stated “It is noteworthy that despite the peculiar asymmetric nature of the security challenge, measures have been put in place to ensure compliance with tenets of human right and rules of engagement by troops involved in the conduct of the mission.
“Apart from inculcating the necessity for observance of human rights in troops’ regular programmes has been conducted to review the human rights situation related to the conduct of the operations.
“It is in this respect that most of those apprehended in the counter-terrorist operations are kept in custody.
“These detention facilities have been visited by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) including International Committee of the Red Cross and others to verify the conditions of detainees.
“This is even in the face of destruction of relevant amenities by the terrorists who have burnt down prisons, courts and government facilities in that part of the country in the course of their ceaseless attacks.
“The claim contained in the Amnesty International’s report attributing gross abuses of human right of Nigerians to both the terrorists and the security forces is quite confounding,” he said.
The DDI assured that the outcome of the investigation would ensure that necessary action is taken to address any case of human right breach on the part of troops.
He also assured Nigerians that “while carrying out the mandate of ridding the country of any vestige of terrorism, necessary efforts will continue to be made to respect the fundamental rights of all citizens”.
