Coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) on human rights and conflict resolution in Nigeria has debunked the recent report by the Amnesty International (AI) accusing the security forces of raping and starving internally displaced persons (IDPs) to death in the northern part of the country.
The global agency had at weekend in its report entitled They betrayed us, detailed how the military and the Civilian Joint Task Force (Civilian JTF) allegedly separated women from their husbands and confined them in remote satellite camps where they were reportedly being raped in exchange for food.
Reacting to the report it termed Tainted Spring, the coalition said it was evident that some ‘political’ Boko Haram people were taking advantage of the unrest in the North East.
The group’s Executive Director, Maxwell Gowon, told newsmen yesterday in Abuja that the report was targeted at heating up the polity and rubbishing the security forces, especially the military, that were carrying out a “good job.”
The coalition claimed that the document was sponsored by a ‘political Boko Haram’ bent on achieving a pre-determined result.
His words: “This particular one in question has been begging for legitimacy after it was exposed that Amnesty International and the UNICEF were paying journalists and NGOs to compile fictitious reports against the Nigerian military and other stakeholders fighting terrorism in Nigeria.
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What these organisations stand to achieve is still what the coalition is yet to come to terms with.
“The military’s compliance with the rules of engagement is significantly high, enough to conform with the globally accepted standards in conflict situations.
Instances of infractions had more to do with individual deviation than an organisational policy of the military services.
