The Federal Government and the military were challenged to account for the hundreds of people who have gone missing or been detained as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency during the last 13 years in the North-East by participants and speakers at an Amnesty International Dialogue on Thursday in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The military allegedly committed “indiscriminate” and “rampant” arrests of suspected rebels throughout communities in the affected states throughout the past 13 years, but notably between 2012 and 2017.
While thousands of people were purportedly imprisoned in facilities in Lagos, Kainji in Niger State, and other places around the nation, the majority of those arrested were allegedly held at Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri.
Recall that at the height of the insurgency, the rebels allegedly conducted raids on the Giwa Barracks and the Bauchi Prisons in order to release their fellow prisoners there.
They expressed numerous grievances including the disappearance of fathers, spouses, wives, kids, and siblings as a result of claimed excessive military arrests during the previous 13 years.
As part of the events commemorating the International Day of Missing Persons, which is scheduled for August 30, the relatives and other speakers were present during a discussion on those who were forcibly detained and disappeared during the Boko Haram war.
The international human rights monitor and the Maiduguri-based NGO Allamin Foundation for Peace agreed on “over 23,000,” while the International Committee for the Red Cross set their number at 20,000. However, the government and the military refused to divulge any records of these individuals.
According to the Executive Director of the Foundation, Hamsatu Allamin, 1886 of the “over 23,000” Boko Haram-related arrests made by the military have been freed. This number was agreed upon both Amnesty International and Allamin.
“Our records show that over 23,000 persons were either missing or arrested by the Nigerian military over the insurgency over the last 13 years, but we believe the number is much higher,” said Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International’s country director, in his remarks.
The Boboshe village in Dikwa LGA, Borno State, stated that “many of our people have been missing after being arrested by the military for the last nine years.” Mallam Musa Adam made this statement on their behalf.
Adam recalled one of the people who was arrested: “One of them was one of our elders, a businessman and politician (name withheld for security reasons) who was so kind that he was supporting most families.” Adam pleaded with the authorities to inform the community of the location and circumstances of the detained people.
A teacher in Konduga LGA named Babagana Ibrahim said that on November 12, 2012, the military in Bama detained his two brothers Mohammed Ibrahim and Babagana Ibrahim.
“We want the government to tell us if they are dead or still alive,” he said.
“Why not release those missing and forcibly disappearing as a result of being arrested for the insurgency?” one person said. “If repentant insurgents can be forgiven and even reintegrated into their communities, why not?” Ambassador Ahmed Shehu, the Chairman of the Network of CSOs in the North-East and Lake Chad, questioned.
He urged the governors of the states impacted by the insurgency in the North-East to establish committees to conduct investigations into missing and forcefully vanished people at the state level in order to learn more about their locations and living conditions.
Sanusi asserted that the Nigerian government had issues with its criminal justice and human rights systems, urging the government to bring charges before the court of law, those detained for the insurgency according to international law.
“We want the government to tell us if they are dead or still alive,” he said.”Until all missing and forcibly disappeared persons are fully accounted for by the government, there will never be genuine peace; there will never be a genuine resolution to the (Boko Haram) conflict,” Sanusi said.
“Nigerian authorities should establish a mechanism by which all such missing or forcibly disappearing persons can be traced,” he said.
Calls to Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, the director of defence information, were not answered, and as of the time this report was filed, he had not responded to a text message on the situation given to his phone number.