TheCable

Amnesty International says the delay of the federal government to make public a report by a presidential panel on the alleged excesses of the army is an affront on citizens who are victims.

In June 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari set up the Presidential Investigative Panel to Review Compliance of the Armed Forces with Human Rights Obligations and Rules of Engagement in the bid to “put a stop to the excesses” of the army.

The panel submitted its report in February but it has not been made public.

In a statement on Tuesday, Osai Ojigho, director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said the efforts of Nigerians who testified before the panel must not be in vain.

“When the panel finally commenced a year ago, many Nigerians took the brave step to testify, driven by their yearning for the truth to come out. Their efforts must not be in vain. It is time the victims see the result of the investigations,” the statement read.

“The government must make good on its promise and show its commitment to transparency and accountability by publishing the report and publicly revealing how they will ensure justice for the victims.

“During the course of its investigations, the panel held public sittings in Abuja, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kaduna and Lagos where it heard from victims and witnesses, who described a range of alleged violations by security forces, including extra-judicial executions, torture, rape, enforced disappearances and the burning down of villages.

“Far too many previous investigative panels and inquiries set up by the government in the past ended nowhere, with no reports published to the public and little evidence of action taken by the government.”