Amnesty International Report on Nigeria

Amnesty International Report on Nigeria



A new Amnesty report has once again indicted Nigeria's security agencies of excessive use of force. The truth is that Nigeria's human rights record remains poor and government officials at all levels continue to commit serious abuses. Some of the serious human rights problems in Nigeria are sporadic abridgement of citizens' right to change their government, due to some election fraud and other irregularities; politically motivated and extrajudicial killings by security forces, including summary executions; security force torture, rape, and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment of prisoners, detainees, and criminal suspects; harsh and life-threatening prison and detention center conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; prolonged pretrial detention; denial of fair public trial; executive influence on the judiciary and judicial corruption; infringements on citizens' privacy rights; restrictions on freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion, and movement; official corruption; violence and discrimination against women; child abuse; female genital mutilation ...; the killing of children suspected of witchcraft; child sexual exploitation; ethnic, regional, and religious discrimination; trafficking in persons for the purpose of prostitution and forced labor; discrimination against persons with disabilities; discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; vigilante killings; forced and bonded labor; and child labor among several others.

In a recent report on Nigeria, Amnesty International raised a serious alarm that “there is a vicious cycle of violence currently taking place in Nigeria”, and that “the Nigerian people are trapped in the middle”. The report documents the serious human rights violations said to have been carried out by the security forces deployed to counter the sectarian violence ravaging Northern Nigeria. These breaches include torture, extrajudicial executions and detention without trial. Amnesty International particularly notes that many suspects had been detained for lengthy periods without proper notification of family members, without being brought before any judicial authority, and without access to lawyers. Besides, it faulted the strategy employed by the security agencies whereby the rights of detainees are wantonly violated, consequently making an already desperate situation worse. The logic, as they put it, is rather simple: “Every injustice carried out in the name of security only fuels more terrorism, creating a vicious circle of murder and destruction.”


The final report, according to Amnesty International, is an outcome of numerous visits to Nigeria between 2010 and 2012, with information sourced through interviews, court cases, legislation, policy documents, medical reports as well as video and photographic evidence. Amnesty, however, claimed that as far back as August 2012, it shared its findings with security agencies and government authorities in a nine-page briefing sent by courier. Contained in the briefing were lists of its findings and over 90 cases, including names, arresting authority and other relevant information; call for investigation of cases mentioned and request for comments that could be reflected in the final report. Unfortunately, no response was received from the affected agencies and even the briefing sent to the Commander of the Joint Task Force in Borno State was said to have been returned marked “refused delivery”.


However, as soon as the report was released to the media about three months later, all the indicted agencies went into a frenzy, churning out press releases to discredit the report.  Sadly, the import of the report has been blighted in the plethora of these belated official responses. Yet what the report seeks was for government to take effective action to protect its population against Boko Haram’s campaign of terror within the boundaries of the rule of law; to change the strategy for tackling the nation’s security challenges by discarding the indiscriminate use of brutal force that inevitably creates a vicious cycle of violence; and to draw attention to the pathetic state of the Nigerian Police in terms of funding, training and operational tools.

We believe that what the indicted security agencies ought to have done was to take advantage of the window provided by the briefing made available to them before the report was released by setting the record straight with verifiable data. Besides, while the federal government may find it necessary, as an image boosting measure, to deny the charges, they should have clearly stated their willingness to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations with a view to determining the truth, sanctioning those culpable, if there are, and preventing a recurrence. Also, the indicted security agencies should have stated the number of alleged Boko Haram members in the various detention cells, the charges preferred against them, the status of their prosecution and the number of those that had been released based on no-case-submission.


It is, however, heart-warming that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has expressed government’s willingness to investigate the allegations contained in the Amnesty International report in order to ensure that security forces operate within the rule of law and with respect for the rights of detainees. That is what is expected of any responsible government confronted with such grievous allegations.