by FESTUS OWETE
Thousands of Nigerians are detained and tortured, and some killed, yearly by their country’s security forces, a damning report by the global rights organization, Amnesty International, said Thursday.
The report indicted the Nigerian military and police for brutal torture and extra judicial killing of Nigerians, including children held in their custody.
It also said between 5,000 and 10,000 Nigerians have been detained since 2009 when military operations began against the armed group, Boko Haram, and that many of them have either been tortured or otherwise ill-treated.
The report, presented in Abuja Thursday compiles 10 years of abuses.
“Torture is a routine occurrence in Nigeria, largely to extract “confessions” or as punishment for alleged crimes and that hundreds of suspects in police and military custody across the country are being subjected to a range of physical and psychological torture or other ill-treatment while security forces act in a climate of impunity,” Amnesty International said.
The report came as Nigerian officials complained about an alleged decision by the United States government to stop Nigeria from procuring arms to tackle Boko Haram.
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