Amnesty International (AI) has called on the Nigerian authorities to bring to justice those responsible for atrocities committed against victims and survivors of the Boko Haram insurgency.
The perpetrators of the atrocities, according to Amnesty International, are both insurgents and some military personnel who have been accused of human rights abuses against the victims and survivors.
The Nigeria Country Director of AI, Malam Isa Sanusi, who made the call at the weekend in Maiduguri, Borno State, said a research conducted by the international human rights organisation revealed that over 16,000 petitioners came forward to report the abuses, with 800 victims and survivors interviewed.
The individuals, according to him, recounted being maimed, harassed, humiliated, and tortured by both Boko Haram insurgents and the military.
Sanusi emphasised that the Nigerian government must take action to hold perpetrators accountable, stating that: “it can be done, and government can do it, and it must be done.
“The only resolution is justice. Justice must prevail. They must be brought to book. Government can do that. Government can ensure justice is done to the afflicted. This is all what Amnesty International is saying.
“Because majority of these victims have lost their education, suffered untold hardships and tortured, forced or conscripted into the group, most of them are ignorant and innocent.
“We want to tell the government that these girls and women’s lives have been shattered, enslaved, many have kids, experienced different terrible experiences from arbitrary detention,” he stated.