Rights commission alerts on 5,000 detained insurgents, TB infections
05 March 2025 |
2:21 am
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has alerted the Federal Government that over 5,000 insurgents are languishing in various military facilities in the North-East. Some of the insurgents are reportedly suffering from tuberculosis (TB) and other ailments.
• FG reaffirms commitment to security, rights
• Military alone can’t track terrorists’ financiers, says Buratai
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has alerted the Federal Government that over 5,000 insurgents are languishing in various military facilities in the North-East. Some of the insurgents are reportedly suffering from tuberculosis (TB) and other ailments.
This was as the Attorney-General Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to balancing national security with human rights protection, emphasising ongoing efforts to strengthen legal and institutional frameworks.
Meanwhile, former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Tukur Buratai, blamed lapses across security agencies for the Army’s failure to eradicate insurgency, emphasising that intelligence and inter-agency collaboration play a critical role in tackling insecurity.
Chairman of the Special Independent Investigation Panel (SIIP) on alleged human rights violations in counter-insurgency operations in North-East Nigeria (SIIP North-East), Justice Abdu Aboki, alerted on the ailing detainees, yesterday, in Abuja, while presenting the report of the panel to the AGF.
Aboki, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court (JSC), said they stumbled on the detainees in the course of investigation of human rights abuses, which involved extra-judicial killings and forced termination of 10,000 pregnancies in the North-East. He pleaded with the Federal Government to look into the plight of the insurgents by hastening their trial along with those indicted by his panel.
However, in a quick response, the AGF said the Federal Government had actually commenced a full-blown trial of the insurgents and that over 300 cases were recently cleared in line with the principle of justice and rule of law.
Presenting the report of the panel to the AGF, Aboki said the problem faced by the SIIP established by NHRC in response to serious allegations of human rights violations in counter-insurgency operations in the North East, as reported by Reuters in December 2022, was both challenging and critical, given the nature of the allegations and the complex security landscape of the areas in which the investigations were conducted.
He said, “Despite the difficulties faced, including the non-appearance of Reuters, who reported the allegations, and a lack of cooperation from certain international organisations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), who were key to our investigations in the North East, the panel remained committed and carried out its mandate with the highest level of diligence, impartiality and adherence to the principles of justice and fairness.
“Our extensive investigation spanned 18 months across 20 field locations and involved the collection of 199 testimonies, along with the analysis of crucial documents and records from state hospitals and the military.”
The report, which contains documented findings of the panel, also contains critical recommendations that, if implemented, will significantly enhance Nigeria’s counter-insurgency operations while upholding human rights and strengthening the criminal justice system in the country.
Receiving the report, Fagbemi said his office would establish an implementation committee to review the report and develop appropriate recommendations for execution in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the administration’s resolute commitment to the rule of law.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary of NHRC, Dr Tony Ojukwu (SAN) said the report embodies 18 months of dedicated work in response to allegations of gross violations of human rights against the Nigerian Armed Forces reported in December 2022 by Reuters. Ojukwu called the Federal Government to ensure accountability through prosecution of officers indicted in the killing of civilians in Abisare.
“This will, no doubt, be a testament to Nigeria’s enduring pledge to protect the rights of all Nigerians and promote a culture of accountability and reform within our institutions,” he added.
IN an interview with Arise News, yesterday, about his tenure as well as the ongoing fight against insurgency, Buratai noted effective intelligence gathering and coordination as fundamental to counter-insurgency efforts. He stressed that during his tenure, the military made significant strides in tracking insurgents, their logistics networks, arms couriers and financial backers.
Nigeria’s first recorded terrorist attack occurred on December 26, 2003, when an extremist group launched an attack on police stations in Geidam and Kanamma, Yobe State.
The group, which later became associated with Boko Haram, seized weapons and later launched its first major attack that gained national and international attention on July 26, 2009, in Bauchi, Borno, Kano and Yobe states.
Buratai, who served as COAS between July 2015 and January 2021, attributed the failure to effectively tackle insurgency to lack of intelligence across security formations.
Though the 65-year-old retired general maintained that no leadership vacuum was left upon his retirement, he noted that the army struggled to understand the root of the security crisis.
According to him, despite his achievements across formations and units of the Nigerian Army, and with his successors being highly professional, intelligence coordination and advancement stalled the progress in identifying and arresting the financiers of insurgency.
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