8000 deaths, war crimes…Amnesty seeks probe of Badeh, Ihejirika, others

Amnesty International has called for the investigation of top Nigerian military commanders for war crimes offences in the course of the current war on terror in the north-east.Amnesty had in the past accused the military of acting with impunity in the war against Boko Haram insurgency, but this is the first time it singled out […]

Amnesty International has called for the investigation of top Nigerian military commanders for war crimes offences in the course of the current war on terror in the north-east.
Amnesty had in the past accused the military of acting with impunity in the war against Boko Haram insurgency, but this is the first time it singled out some top brass for mention.
The individuals are retired Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika, Chief of Army Staff from September 2010 to 2014; Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim Chief of Defence Staff from 4 October 2012 to January 2014; Air Marshal Alex Badeh, the current Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah.
Others are Major General John Ewansiha, Major General Obida Ethnan, Major General Ahmadu Mohammed, Brigadier General Austin Edokpayi and Brigadier General R O Bamigboye who commanded troops or operations in the north east.
Amnesty said it has handed over the names of the officers, as well as other officers not named in the report to the International Criminal Court for committing war crimes in acts committed in the context of non-international armed conflict.
It also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently embark on an impartial investigation of the senior military officers for potential individual or command responsibility for war crimes of murder, torture and enforced disappearance.
In a 129 page report titled “Stars on their Shoulders. Blood on their hands: War crimes committed by the Nigerian military,” Amnesty said the victims were murdered, starved, suffocated, and tortured to death in the course of the war on terror.
It released the report at a press conference jointly addressed by Amnesty’s Senior Director Research Anna Neistat, its Africa Director Research and Advocacy Netsanet Belay and Director of Media Susanna Flood.
According to the report, “Nigeria Military forces have extra judicially executed more than 1,200 people; they have arbitrarily arrested at least 20,000 people, mostly young men and boys. “Countless acts of torture, hundreds, if not thousands, of Nigerians have become victims of enforced disappearance; and at least 7,000 people have died in military detention as a result of starvation, extreme overcrowding and denial of medical assistance,” the report added.
It said it based its report on years of research and analysis of evidence – including leaked military reports and correspondence, as well as interviews with more than 400 victims, eyewitnesses and senior members of the Nigerian security forces.
Amnesty said the report is also based on more than 412 interviews with victims, their relatives, eyewitnesses, human rights activists, doctors, journalists, lawyers and military sources. It said it analysed more than 90 videos and numerous photographs showing members of the security forces and their allied militia and the joint task force committing violations.
Amnesty said it independently interviewed eight military sources and examined more than 800 official documents.
(See release on page 10)