Hundreds Suspected Boko-Haram Detainees Killed In Military Camps- amnesty Int'l

Amnesty International has called for
investigation
About 1000 suspected Boko Haram
militants died in detention in the first half
of 2013 alone, London-based rights
organization, Amnesty International, said
Tuesday.
Some of the dead were beaten and shot
without getting medical attention while
others die due to harsh detention
conditions such as over-crowded jails and
starvation.
“The evidence we’ve gathered suggests that
hundreds of people died in military custody
in 2013 alone. This is a staggeringly high
figure that requires urgent action by the
Nigerian government,” Lucy Freeman,
Amnesty International’s deputy Africa
director, said in a statement.
“The details of what happens behind locked
doors in these shadowy detention facilities
must be exposed, and those responsible
for any human rights violations brought to
book.”
The Nigerian army said it has not seen the
report and will respond when it is made
available to them.
A large proportion of these deaths are
reported to have happened in Giwa military
barracks, Maiduguri in Borno State, and
Sector Alpha, commonly referred to as
‘Guantanamo’ and Presidential Lodge
(known as ‘Guardroom’) in Damaturu, Yobe
State.”
Detainees in these detention centres told
Amnesty International that people die daily
in “both Giwa and Sector Alpha from
suffocation or other injuries due to
overcrowding, and starvation. Some
suffered serious injuries due to severe
beating and eventually died in detention
due to lack of medical attention and
treatment.”
Some of the atrocities perpetuated in these
camps are summary execution and
detainees being shot in the legs during
interrogations.
“Hundreds have been killed in detention
either by shooting them or by suffocation…
There are times when people are brought
out on a daily basis and killed. About five
people, on average, are killed nearly on a
daily basis,” a senior army officer told h
asked not to be named told Amnesty
International.
“International standards, as well as
Nigerian laws, require that deaths in
custody must be investigated thoroughly
and impartially,” said Ms Freeman.
“Detainees have human rights and these
must be respected in all instances.”
Hundreds of suspected Boko Haram
militants are held in mostly secret
detention centres across the country
without charge and no access to lawyers
and family members.
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