Amnesty International on Monday accused the Nigerian army of illegally detaining girls and young women who have escaped from Boko Haram captivity because the military believes they support the Islamist insurgent group.
The military in a statement denied the allegations, which the human rights group said were based on 126 interviews from 2019 to 2024 with female former captives.
Thirty-one said they were unlawfully held in military barracks for several days to almost four years between 2015 and mid-2023, typically because of their real or perceived association to Boko Haram, Amnesty said in a report.
Boko Haram has fought an armed rebellion in Nigeria's Northeast, which the UN says has killed more than 35,000 people. With a reputation for brutality, the group has been accused of torture, rape, forced marriage and kidnapping. The most well known incident was the abduction of 300 girls from Chibok in 2014.
Since then, more girls have been abducted, and many have lived for years with Boko Haram fighters. Some have escaped.
“The Nigerian government has failed to uphold their human rights obligations to protect and adequately support these girls and young women,” said Samira Daoud, Amnesty International's regional director for West and Central Africa, in the report.
Defence spokesperson Major General Edward Buba said the military respects human rights and upholds humanitarian law.
Nigeria's military “operates within the ambit of international law of armed conflict,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Nigeria's military has launched a counteroffensive against the Islamist group that has also attracted criticism of harsh tactics.
A Reuters' investigation last year revealed that the military secretly ran a mass abortion programme in its war against Boko Haram.
Reuters
Amnesty International says Nigerian army detains girls who escape from Boko Haram
Image: REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde/File Photo
Amnesty International on Monday accused the Nigerian army of illegally detaining girls and young women who have escaped from Boko Haram captivity because the military believes they support the Islamist insurgent group.
The military in a statement denied the allegations, which the human rights group said were based on 126 interviews from 2019 to 2024 with female former captives.
Thirty-one said they were unlawfully held in military barracks for several days to almost four years between 2015 and mid-2023, typically because of their real or perceived association to Boko Haram, Amnesty said in a report.
Boko Haram has fought an armed rebellion in Nigeria's Northeast, which the UN says has killed more than 35,000 people. With a reputation for brutality, the group has been accused of torture, rape, forced marriage and kidnapping. The most well known incident was the abduction of 300 girls from Chibok in 2014.
Since then, more girls have been abducted, and many have lived for years with Boko Haram fighters. Some have escaped.
“The Nigerian government has failed to uphold their human rights obligations to protect and adequately support these girls and young women,” said Samira Daoud, Amnesty International's regional director for West and Central Africa, in the report.
Defence spokesperson Major General Edward Buba said the military respects human rights and upholds humanitarian law.
Nigeria's military “operates within the ambit of international law of armed conflict,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Nigeria's military has launched a counteroffensive against the Islamist group that has also attracted criticism of harsh tactics.
A Reuters' investigation last year revealed that the military secretly ran a mass abortion programme in its war against Boko Haram.
Reuters
READ MORE:
A decade on, tragedy of Nigeria’s Chibok Girls endures outside the spotlight
Gunmen in Nigeria kidnap about 100 in weekend attacks
Suspected insurgents kidnap 50 people in northeast Nigeria
US emphasises 'accountability and transparency' in Nigeria security operations
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
News and promos in your inbox
subscribeMost read
Latest Videos