The United States has yet again accused the Nigerian government of inflicting pain, injustice and brutality towards the citizens of the country.
In the report which was released by the United States Department of States, the US Department accused the Nigerian Police, Department of States Services, DSS, and the Nigerian military of gross abuses of power which include the massive brutality of citizens, arbitrary detention, bribery amongst other scandals.
The report further blamed the country’s ‘corrupt’ judicial system as it noted that 69 percent of prison inmates across the country are awaiting trial.
Addressing the issue of Boko Haram Insurgency which has continued to plague the country, the report noted that the terrorism act in the North-Eastern part of the country has rendered many homeless. The US in the report accused the insurgents of committing pogrom in which more than 20,000 lives have been claimed.
The report further noted that: “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 neighbouring countries”.
The report added that: “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”.
According to the report, impunity remained widespread at all levels of the government, “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”.
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