President Muhammadu Buhari
The United States has released yet another gory and nauseating
detailed report on Nigeria, accusing the government at all levels of
injustice, brutality and inflicting pain on poor Nigerians.
The report, which was released by the United States Department of
States, accused the Nigerian police, DSS and the military of gross abuse
of power which include citizens brutality, arbitrary detention, bribery
among other scandals.
It also revealed that 69 percent of persons in prison across the
country are awaiting trial – blaming the situation on lack of judicial
capacity and corruption.
While explaining that the insurgency in the Northeast has rendered
many hopeless, US accused the Boko haram militants of committing pogrom
in which more than 20,000 people have been killed and maimed with
permanent injury.
“The most serious human rights abuses included those committed
by Boko Haram, which conducted numerous attacks on government and
civilian targets that resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries,
widespread destruction, the internal displacement of an estimated 1.8
million persons, and the external displacement of 220,000 Nigerian
refugees to neighboring countries”, the report said.
It pointed out that in response to Boko Haram violent attacks, and
at times to crime and insecurity in general, “security services
perpetrated extrajudicial killings, and engaged in torture, rape,
arbitrary detention, mistreatment of detainees, and destruction of
property”.
“The country also suffered from widespread societal unrest,
including ethnic, regional, and religious violence. Other serious human
rights problems included vigilante killings; prolonged pretrial
detention, often in facilities with poor conditions; denial of fair
public trial; executive influence on the judiciary; infringement on
citizens’ privacy rights; and restrictions on freedoms of speech, press,
assembly, and movement.
"There were reports during the year of official corruption;
violence against women and children, including female genital
mutilation/cutting; infanticide; sexual exploitation of children;
trafficking in persons; early and forced marriages; discrimination based
on sexual orientation and gender identity; discrimination based on
ethnicity, regional origin, religion, and disability; forced and bonded
labor; and child labour”.
The report pointed out that impunity remained widespread at all levels of government; saying
“although President Buhari’s administration began initial steps to curb
corruption, authorities did not investigate or punish the majority of
cases of police or military abuse”.
“Boko Haram perpetrated numerous attacks, often directly
targeting civilians. The group, which recruited and forcefully
conscripted child soldiers, carried out bombings–including suicide
bombings–and attacks on population centers in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno,
Gombe, Kano, Plateau, and Yobe States. In some cases, the group employed
women and children as suicide bombers. The government investigated
these attacks but prosecuted only a few members of Boko Haram”.
Read the full report here
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