FG orders Investigation of Amnesty International’s claims against Military
Opeyemi. Oladunjoye
The Federal Government has ordered an immediate investigation into the allegations of human rights abuse levelled against the Nigerian military by the Amnesty International.
This was revealed in a statement issued by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bulus Lolo, on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said: “Due to the magnitude of the allegations, the President Buhari-led government is looking into the report with a view to establishing the fact of the matter. The government has, therefore, instituted an investigation and assures that there will be no cover-up.”
He also said that the surge of terrorism in Nigeria and the state of emergency imposed in some states had empowered the military to arrest, interrogate and detain any civilian actively involved in terrorist activities.
He continued: “In Nigeria, as in other regions where terrorists have unleashed their evil acts without a scintilla of respect for morality, extreme measures are sometimes required to contain extremism.
“It is a well-known fact that Boko Haram respects no laws at all, including sacred religious laws that the group claims to cherish.
“We find it nonetheless very worrisome that Amnesty International has yet to comment on the horrendous, mindless and ruinous activities of Boko Haram.”
