Several of the armed captors are wearing military uniforms, one of which has the words “Borno State Operation Flush” emblazoned on the front. No buildings, roads or other infrastructure can be seen in the video but the noise of cars confirms that it is near a road. ![]() All other military and CJTF shout “Yes oga, kill him”.Īmnesty spoke to several military sources who independently confirmed that the armed captors in the video were indeed military personnel, and according to two credible sources, they may be part of the 81 Battalion, which is based in Borno State. The individual who appears to be the commander of the group puts his right foot on the man’s side, raises his knife, kisses it and shouts “Die hard Commando” and cuts the throat of the restrained young man. ![]() ![]() One is told to lie down in front of the pit, where his legs and head are held by what seem to be CJTF members. Five of them are killed in this way the fate of the remaining detainees is not shown on video, but eyewitness accounts confirmed that nine of them had their throats cut while the others were shot dead.Īdditional footage featuring some of the same perpetrators, taken earlier that day at the same location, shows two detainees digging a grave under armed guard before the killing is carried out. One by one, they are called forward and told to lie down in front of the pit. The video shows 16 young men and boys seated in a line. It shows what appear to be members of the Nigerian military and CJTF using a blade to slit the throats of a series of detainees, before dumping them into an open mass grave. The footage Amnesty has obtained includes a gruesome incident that took place near Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on 14 March 2014. All reports of extrajudicial executions and other war crimes and serious violations must be investigated promptly, thoroughly, independently and impartially, with those responsible – up the entire chain of command – brought to justice. Twelve people were killed in detention.Īmnesty is calling on the Nigerian authorities to ensure that the military stops committing human rights violations. In July, Damboa in Borno State became the first town to fall officially under the control of Boko Haram since President Goodluck Jonathan declared the state of emergency in May last year.įurthermore, a military crackdown in response to a peaceful protest by the Shi’ite Zakzaky sect in Zaria in Kaduna State in July led to 33 deaths, including two children. The conflict in north-eastern Nigeria has intensified recently, spreading to smaller towns and villages which are now increasingly on the front line. Civilians who are not directly participating in hostilities make up the majority of the death toll. More than 4,000 people have been killed by all sides in the conflict during armed attacks this year alone. Sadly, the same communities are now being terrorised in turn by Boko Haram and the military alike.” “A state of emergency must not give way to a state of lawlessness. “Members of Boko Haram and other armed groups are responsible for a huge number of heinous crimes – like the abduction of the schoolgirls in Chibok more than three months ago – but the military are supposed to defend people, not to carry out further abuses themselves. “The ghastly images are made worse by the numerous testimonies we have gathered which suggest that extrajudicial executions are, in fact, regularly carried out by the Nigerian military and CJTF. What does it say about a country when members of its military carry out such unspeakable acts and then deliberately capture the images on film? “This shocking new evidence is further proof of the appalling disregard for humanity in north-eastern Nigeria, where war crimes are being committed with abandon by all sides in the conflict. Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said: It also shows the aftermath of a Boko Haram raid on a village that resulted in almost 100 deaths and destruction on a massive scale. It includes horrific images of detainees having their throats slit one by one and dumped in mass graves by men who appear to be members of the Nigerian military and the “Civilian Joint Task Force” (CJTF), state-sponsored militias. The footage, obtained from numerous sources during a recent trip to Borno State, reveals graphic evidence of multiple war crimes. Gruesome video footage, images and testimonies gathered by Amnesty International provide fresh evidence of extrajudicial executions and other serious human rights violations being carried out by all sides in north-eastern Nigeria as the fight by the military against Boko Haram and other armed groups intensifies.
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