The Nigerian military has detained
at least 3,600 children in the north-east where the Boko Haram war is being
fought, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In a new report released on
Tuesday, HRW said most of the children including 1,617 girls, are being
detained at Giwa military barracks in Maiduguri, Borno state capital.
The international human rights
organisation said the military has since 2013, arbitrarily detained the
children in “degrading and inhuman conditions” for suspected involvement with
the Boko Haram insurgents.
It said the report, which can be
downloaded on its website, documents how Nigerian authorities are detaining
children, often based on little or no evidence.
“Many children are held without
charge for months or years in squalid and severely overcrowded military
barracks, with no contact with the outside world,” it said.
HRW added that it spoke with 32
children and youth who had been in such detention facilities including one who
was quoted as saying they “packed tightly in their cells with hundreds of other
detainees like razor blades in a pack.”
“None of the children said they
were taken before a judge or appeared in court, as required by law, and only
one saw someone who he thought may have been a lawyer. None were aware of any
charges against them. One was detained when he was only 5 years old,” the
organisation said.
‘ARRESTED FOR SELLING YAMS TO
BOKO HARAM MEMBERS’
The organisation alleged that the
military arrested the children during operations, security sweeps, screening
procedures for internally displaced persons, and based on information from
informants.
“Many of the children said they
were arrested after fleeing Boko Haram attacks on their village or while
seeking refuge at camps for internally displaced people,” it said, quoting one
as saying he was “arrested and detained for more than two years for allegedly
selling yams to Boko Haram members.”
‘INHUMANE CONDITIONS IN DETENTION
FACILITIES.’
HRW quoted some of the children
interviewed as saying they shared a 10-by-10 meters single cell “with 250 or
more detainees.”
“They said the stench from a
single open toilet was often overwhelming and that detainees sometimes fainted
from the heat,” it said.
“Nearly half of the children said
they saw dead bodies of other detainees at Giwa barracks. Many said they
suffered frequent thirst or hunger.
“The children said that Giwa has
a cell for boys under 18 with children as young as 7, or even younger. The
military also detains children in adult cells, where children said food and
water were scarcer and conditions even more crowded.”
HRW urged the federal government
to release the children and adopt the United Nations handover protocol to
ensure their swift transfer to child protection authorities to get
rehabilitated and reunited with their families.
“If military or intelligence
authorities have credible evidence of criminal offenses by children, they
should transfer them to civilian judicial authorities to be treated in
accordance with national and international juvenile justice standards,” it
added.
Onyema Nwachukwu, spokesman of
defence headquarters, did not immediately reply a text message seeking his
response to the report.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com