US Releases Gory Report on Nigeria

Accuses police, army of unbriddled bribery, brutality, extra judicial killing

Says 69 percent of inmates await trial

‘Boko Haram committed pogrom’

In Zacheaus Somorin

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”.