The Defence Headquarters has challenged Amnesty International (AI) to substantiate the allegations levelled against the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) in its recent report.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, made the call in a statement reacting to the allegations on Monday in Abuja.
AI had accused soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) of abusing Boko Haram survivors while in detention in its recent report.
It alleged that Boko Haram survivors said they were insulted and beaten by soldiers and witnessed the beatings of others during their detention in all facilities where they were held by the Nigerian military.
According to the report, in some facilities, CJTF members played supporting roles.
Reacting to the allegations, Buba stated that the Armed Forces of Nigeria was a professional military force that operated within the ambit of international law of armed conflict and adhered to humanitarian law and principles governing human rights.
He noted that the military preferred not to engage in verbal disputes with organisations like Amnesty International and instead encouraged them to approach the military high command to substantiate their allegations.
“The military has self-regulating mechanisms with which it administers the military justice system to address any proven case of misconduct by personnel.
“It is worthy of note to state that the AFN, led by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa OFR, has zero tolerance for indiscipline and any form of improper conduct during operations across the country.
“For this reason, there are standing court martials to address any form of misbehaviour by erring personnel, especially those that portray the military negatively to the general populace,” he said.
Buba emphasised that the military would remain focused on its objective and unperturbed by such “self-serving statements aimed at dampening the morale of troops in operational theatres.”
He added that the military would engage constructively with Amnesty International where available.
“Overall, we will continue on the trajectory of conducting operations diligently to defeat terrorism in our nation,” he added.
