Amnesty International (AI), yesterday, released its 2017/2018 Human Rights Report, wherein the global rights organisation accused the Nigerian military of arbitrarily arresting and detaining thousands of young men, women and children.
It stated that as at last April, the military held more than 4,900 in extremely overcrowded facility in Giwa Barrack, adding that disease, dehydration and starvation killed, at least, 340 detainees.
It pointed out that the condition of the military detention facilities in the North-East and other parts of the country was harsh, and children were detained unlawfully alongside their parents in the centres.
Amnesty, which flayed the military for its “total disregard” for human rights in its execution of the war against Boko Haram, stated that in the outgoing year, the Army carried out, “extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and torture and other ill-treatment, which, in some cases, led to deaths in custody”.
The report went on to decry the increasing attack on the press and clampdown on freedom of speech, pointing out that journalists are increasingly being harassed, intimidated and arrested.
According to AI, “On September 19, the Katsina State police arrested three bloggers, Jamil Mabai, Bashir Dauda and Umar Faruq, for criticizing the Governor, Aminu Bello Masari.
“On January 19, police raided the offices of Premium Times and arrested publisher, Dapo Olorunyomi, and correspondent, Evelyn Okakwu, for several hours, after the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai accused the newspaper of offensive publications.”
The report, which also outlined violation of Nigerians’ right to housing through forced evictions, as it singled out the governments of Lagos, Imo, among others, for “ordering and supervising forced eviction of thousands of residents without adequate notice, compensation, or the provision of alternative accommodation and resettlement”.
“In Lagos State, at least, 5,000 people were forcibly evicted from Otodo Gbame and Ilubirin in March and April.
“During the forced eviction of Otodo Gbame community on April 9, at least, two people were shot, one fatally.
“On February 2, High Court in Abuja declared as illegal threat of forced eviction on thousands of Mpape residents.
“June 12, a court in Lagos found forced evictions unconstitutional and amounted to cruel and inhuman treatment.”
The report reads: On Boko Haram conflict, the group carried out 65 attacks causing 411 civilian deaths in 2017.
“In May, 82 Chibok girls abducted in 2014 were released. Sixteen women, including ’10 police women abducted in June.
“In July, 3 oil prospectors were abducted and 40 others killed in Magumeri. In November, 6 farmers were abducted and beheaded in Dimge village of Borno State.”
On Internally Displaced Persons, Amnesty said, that there are, at least, 1.7 million Internally Displaced Persons in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.