The Nigerian Army on Wednesday, April 19, began a special military exercise in Southern Kaduna code-named “Operation Harbin Kunama II” – Scorpion Sting-, to checkmate farmers/herdsmen and ethno-religious crises in the area.
A human right watch organisation, Global Amnesty Watch Foundation, has alleged that 55 people died in military detention at Giwa Barrack, Maiduguri, Borno state.
The group alleged that the barrack is a place of death and accused Nigerian Military of arbitrarily detention of Boko Haram suspects causing the death of over 240 people including about 29 children. According to The Nation, the Nigeria military has since denied the allegation.
The Country Representative of Global Amnesty Watch Foundation, Helen Adesola in a press briefing in Maiduguri insisted that the 55 people died before 593 Boko Haram suspects were cleared and handed over to the Borno state government for rehabilitation at Bulumkutu rehabilitation centre.
Adesola alleged that the people died of heat wave instead of the meningitis reported by the media. She said: “Medically, the treatment and prevention for heat waves is the exposure of the detainees to fresh air and proper hydration. "This the centre is doing as the detainees are being brought out into the open to sit under trees and adequate drinking water is being provided." “The detention facility, like many other communities dealing with this kind of issues requires additional intervention to ensure that authorities are able to better cater for sick inmates.”
Adesola called on the Borno state government to be in the drivers seat in the rehabilitation of over 593 cleared detainees who are mostly citizens and residents of the state, stressing that, “The Borno state government must not abandon them even though they are being held on the suspicion of their linkages with Boko Haram terror group."
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