TheCable

The federal government has launched an investigation into the allegations of Amnesty International against the Nigerian military.

In a 129-page report, the human rights watchdog group accused the military of unlawful killings and abuse of rights in the northeast.

The group urged the Nigerian government to charge Azubuike Ihejirika, former chief of army staff; Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, former chief of defence staff; Kenneth Minimah, chief of army staff; and Alex Badeh, chief of defence staff for war crimes.

Though the military denied the report, describing it as “biased, concocted and premeditated blackmail”, President Muhammadu Buhari vowed to review it.

“I assure you that your {Amnesty International} report will be looked into,” Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, quoted Buhari as saying.

“We will not tolerate or condone impunity and reckless disregard for human rights.”

Two weeks after making the promise, the president has matched his words with action.

Bulus Lolo, permanent secretary ministry of foreign affairs, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said the current administration is seeking to establish “the fact of the matter”.

“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,” he said in a statement.

“The government has, therefore, instituted an investigation and assures that there will be no cover-up.”

Lolo also said that the military, conscious of its constitutional mandate, had undertaken an ongoing investigation into the allegations of wrongdoing by its personnel.

He pointed out that the Nigerian military operations, both internally and internationally, had earned it well-deserved respect.

He added that consistent with the state of emergency imposed on Adamawa, Borno and Yobe – the three states worst-hit by Boko Haram insurgency – the military had the powers to arrest, interrogate and detain any civilian actively involved in suspicious activities.

“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,” he said.

“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.”