Ihejirika, Badeh are war criminals, Amnesty alleges

A Global civil rights organization, Amnesty International (AI) says it has compelling evidence that “that no fewer than 8,000 persons were “murdered, starved, suffocated and tortured to death “in the North-East part of the country during the fight against the Boko Haram terrorist group by the Nigerian armed forces.
It said in a report, entitled, “Stars on their shoulders, blood on their hands: War crimes committed by the Nigerian military”, and released on Wednesday that the crimes, were committed March 2011 and 2014.
It therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate some former and serving Nigerian service chiefs for war crimes.
The report was presented in Abuja by its African Director (Research and Advocacy), Netsanet Belay, and Senior Director of Reseach, Anna Neistat.
The rights group outlined the roles and possible criminal responsibilities of those along the chain of command – up to the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Army Staff.
It therefore listed a former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika; former Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim; the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, and the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Kenneth Minimah, among the nine senior military figures that should be investigated for their command and individual roles in the commission of the crimes.
It said, “The Nigerian military, including senior military commanders, must be investigated for participating in, sanctioning or failing to prevent the deaths of more than 8,000 people murdered, starved, suffocated, and tortured to death”.
According to AI, more than 1,200 people were victims of extrajudicial killings by the military and associated militias in the North-East while the worst case documented took place on March 14, 2014 when the military killed more than 640 detainees who fled Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, Borno State, after a Boko Haram attack .
AI added that it had already shared the findings of the research and relevant evidence with the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC.
Buhari acknowledged receipt of the AI report and promised to study it with a view to taking an action on it.
He said in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, from Niamey, Niger Republic that the report contained many disturbing allegations that needed to be looked into.

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