Hafiz Ringim, Police IG
Amnesty International has accused Nigeria’s military of killing 23 people, while shooting at random, after the bomb blast in the city of Maiduguri on July 23.
The group acknowledged a report that the bomb, which was allegedly set off by Boko Haram injured three soldiers but accused the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) of responding by shooting and killing a number of people, apparently at random, before burning down a market.
“President Goodluck Jonathan must get a grip on the Nigerian armed forces and immediately prevent them from carrying out further human rights violations and unlawful killings,” said the group’s Deputy Director for Africa, Tawanda Hondora.
Amnesty called on the government to investigate what it terms as heinous crimes and put on trial those found to be responsible for the killings.
“Allowing troops to go on the rampage will not bring to justice those who carry out these terrible bomb attacks on civilians,” he said.
“While staying within the law, the government must step up efforts to bring to justice members of Boko Haram who wreck untold suffering on people in the middle belt,” it continued.
Amnesty said one human rights defender said: “Soldiers went on the rampage. They shot several people and burned all their shops and properties and burned their cars.”
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