Auwal Musa-Rafsanjani, the executive-Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, has claimed that the counter-insurgency operations of the Nigerian Military is characterised by extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention, and sexual violence.
Mr Rafsanjani made the claim on Thursday while delivering a keynote lecture during the 2024 Nigerian Army Human Rights Seminar.
Speaking on the theme: ‘Nexus Between Military Operations and Human Rights: An Objective Assessment’, Mr Rafsanjani lamented that various reprisal operations to terrorist attacks, innocent civilians suffer a major casualty.
According to him, Nigerian authorities have made little to no effort address the menace by the security forces especially in the Northeast.
“As successive governments speak glowingly about their efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremists, military authorities continue to disregard the killings of defenseless civilians.
“In some of the cases that triggered public outrage, authorities failed to publicly release the outcome of inquiries into incidents of civilian deaths.
“For instance, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo 2017 set up a seven-man judicial commission to investigate the allegations of humanitarian and human rights violations in the military, but its report was never made public.
“For most women in the Northeast, their experiences have evolved from being survivors of the insurgence to being victims of rights abuses by security officials.
“For instance, a situational assessment of IDPs in the Northeast revealed that 66 percent of 400 displaced people in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states affirmed that displaced women and girls were sexually abused by camp officials, and security personnel in particular,” Mr Rafsanjani noted.
The pro-democracy advocate further claimed that there are many instances of military operations targeted at attacking civilians as revenge for the killing of their colleagues.
According to him, this approach has contributed to civilian casualties as the loss of innocent lives during military operations is fast becoming the norm.
“Some practical examples of these were reported cases like Bula Ali village, Borno state in December 2021, where the Nigerian military routinely launched what it terms “clearance” operations against communities it describes as insurgent strongholds.
“Entire villages are set alight, crops and livestock destroyed, and inhabitants scattered.
“Nko community of Yakurr Local Government Area (LGA), Cross River state, where the military on Sunday, June 26, 2022, reportedly killed at least 10 residents in retaliation to the killing of its Commander while on a peacekeeping mission to a communal crisis between Nko and Onyadama.
“According to the report, the military also razed many homes, leading to the displacement of hundreds of persons.
“On Oct. 10, 2001, Tiv militias ambushed 19 soldiers in Zaki-Biam, Benue State, North-central Nigeria. In retaliation, soldiers carried out mass executions of hundreds of unarmed Tiv civilians between Oct. 20 and 24, 2001.
“Although the military authority denied it at the time, ex-Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Luka Yusuf, in Nov. 2007, publicly offered an apology to the people and Late President Umaru Yar’Adua also visited Benue on behalf of the Federal Government.
“Military personnel revenge mission that led to the invasion of Konshisha, Benue State, in April 2021, after 12 soldiers were killed by ‘Banta boys’, a local militant group, for allegedly supporting and supplying arms to their rival group. No fewer than 50 defenseless villagers were reportedly killed.
“After terrorists killed a military officer at Awo Mmamma, Oru East LGA of Imo State, Southeast Nigeria, in Nov. 2021, the latter regrouped and burnt down many houses. A similar incidence was reported in Abia State in the same region in January earlier this year,” he concluded.
