Via Amnesty.org:

“Since 2011 the Nigerian military has arrested at least 20,000 people in north-east Nigeria on suspicion of being Boko Haram members. More than 7,000 suspects died in military detention from torture, starvation, disease or were simply shot.

The new President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, and his government have the power to end these deaths, as well as other crimes committed by the military, and they must start by holding those responsible to account. Tell the new government to investigate atrocities committed by the military.

Trapped between Boko Haram and the military

Since 2009 the armed group known as Boko Haram has killed, abducted and tortured thousands of civilians in north-east Nigeria. As a result more than a million people were forced to flee their homes. In a report Amnesty International found that these acts amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The response by Nigeria’s security forces has been brutal. In military detention facilities, such as Giwa barracks, in Maiduguri, Borno state, the overcrowding was extreme. Former detainees told Amnesty International that they could only sit on the floor in turns, and took turns sleeping. Suspects were often beaten by soldiers. They received little food and had no access to toilets or medical care. Due to these horrific conditions, more than 7,000 people have died in military detention since 2011. The majority of their families were never informed of their fate.

640 killed in one day

The Nigerian military has also executed more than 1,200 people. One of the most horrific mass extrajudicial executions by the military happened on 14 March 2014 in Maiduguri, Borno state. In the aftermath of a Boko Haram attack on the military detention facility at Giwa barracks during which the detainees were released, the military killed at least 640 men and boys, most of them recaptured detainees. Amnesty International released video evidence of the Nigerian military cutting the throats of some of these men and boys.

No investigations

Despite human rights organisations raising these concerns with the former Nigerian government, no adequate investigations took place. On 29 May 2015 a new government, led by President Buhari, was inaugurated. The President has the opportunity to make a break with the mistakes of the past by providing justice for the people of north-east Nigeria.”

To sign the petition go here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/war-crimes-nigerian-military/