The Nigerian military arrested thousands of children it suspected of involvement with Boko Haram, holding them in squalid conditions for years in some cases, according to a new report.

Some of the children detained were as young as five, and others described being crammed into overwhelmingly hot, crowded cells in a notorious military facility in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri called Giwa barracks, said a report released by Human Rights Watch.

The allegations, which the Nigerian military denies, fit into a wider pattern of alleged abuses on the part of the country’s security forces, which have been battling the extremist group Boko Haram for more than a decade.

Thousands of women and girls who believed they were being rescued were allegedly abused in exchange for food and other basics. In 2015, Amnesty International said at least 7,000 people had died in military detention in the north-east. More recently, thousands of displaced people have been sent back to unsafe areas to provide a bulwark against Boko Haram, according to officials in Borno.

More than 3,600 children, including 1,617 girls, were detained by the Nigerian armed forces between 2013 and 2019, according to data collected by the UN, though Human Rights Watch said Nigerian authorities have not allowed the UN access to military detention sites to verify these figures. It is not known how many children are currently in detention.

Before arriving in Giwa barracks, several children described beatings at the hands of security forces, the report said.

Ten-year-old Ibrahim said his family had fled their village after an attack by Boko Haram when he was five and had been arrested several days later by the military.

“We said we escaped from Boko Haram, but the military did not believe us,” he said. “They said that we were part of Boko Haram. They hit us children with a rope of animal skin and slapped our parents with the flat end of a long knife. They beat us every day.”

Saeed, 17, who was initially detained in the town of Banki, said he was beaten by the Civilian Joint Task Force, a vigilante group working with the military, in the presence of soldiers.

“They asked me if I was a member of Boko Haram and beat me up when I said no. They tied my hands and legs and hung me to a tree and continued to flog me. They flogged me and left me tied to the tree from morning till evening … They shot some people and even beat others to death with sticks.”

Once they arrived at the barracks, children said they had to sleep close “like razor blades in a pack”, with up to 300 people in a cell, sharing one toilet. Almost half the children who were spoken to said they had seen the dead bodies of other detainees, who some thought had died because of the heat.

A spokesman for Nigeria’s defence headquarters said the military did arrest children attempting to detonate explosives and “provide tacit support to insurgents”, including information on troop movements, but that children were treated as “victims of war and not as suspects”.

“Apprehended children are kept in secured places, where they are adequately fed, profiled and de-radicalised before their release,” said Onyema Nwachukwu.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/sep/11/nigeria-children-as-young-as-five-boko-haram-links-report

Hmm

I give no f**k. Let them eat and finish themselves. E no concern person.

If u say northerners are terrorist they will argue wit u, but they still contradict themselves by detaining children...bloody bunch of retards

It's well


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Lord have mercy. Nigeria is Fvcked!
Filled with hate filled people. See comments above for proofs

Not that I'm supporting the Nigerian army on this one oo but if you have lived in the North and familiar with almajiri children i.e children that are from 5 to 10 years, roaming aimlessly on the streets with their bowl looking for what to eat. Then you will know they can be easy targets of boko haram indoctrinating them just for their daily meal.

If those so called kids can hold AK, then they deserve more than detention

If you have watched Beast of No Nation you will understand any child can handle a gun with accurate precision... With little training

post=82455071:
.
Ten-year-old Ibrahim said his family had fled their village after an attack by Boko Haram when he was five and had been arrested several days later by the military.
“We said we escaped from Boko Haram, but the military did not believe us,” he said. “They said that we were part of Boko Haram. They hit us children with a rope of animal skin and slapped our parents with the flat end of a long knife. They beat us every day.”
Saeed, 17, who was initially detained in the town of Banki, said he was beaten by the Civilian Joint Task Force, a vigilante group working with the military, in the presence of soldiers.
“They asked me if I was a member of Boko Haram and beat me up when I said no. They tied my hands and legs and hung me to a tree and continued to flog me. They flogged me and left me tied to the tree from morning till evening … They shot some people and even beat others to death with sticks.”

when you wake up everyday and go about your life in peace, you don't know what you are enjoying

When will this british business experiment called scamgeria expire now

Why ?, the pure hatred in such a small heart ?. If your heart is filled with hate there is no room for love. The above comments shows you a typical ipobians mind, however they forget that the evil that consumed these little kids will be the ones that will consume them too. Nigerian Army is filled with all Nigerian tribes and currently Igbos are the ones in control of NORTH EAST while Hausa control South East. Its the military rotation policy for Maximum security. If today you think na only Muslims kids dey killed 2moro it could be una little kids 2, Oooooooooooooooo.

what exactly do we want as a nation sef, radicalised kids that are trained to make bombs and some are looking for them to be released

If i was the President, i will simply ask Nnamdi kanu to come back home and form his Biafra Secret Service, give him broadcast lisence without disturbance from NBC on hate speech and i will release the guns they shipped in from turkey, i will also free elzakzaky and his shiite groups, Sowore would also be freed and given a free pass for the revolution of seizing the Government.

Since we dont want anyone to handle National seciurity without sentiments, then lets all be free to behave as we deem fit


..

Kapeter:
I give no f**k. Let them eat and finish themselves. E no concern person.

Na kids full this forum imagine person comment

As far as Igbo child is not there, that's non of my business. One Nigerianists should fight for them

freedomchild:
As far as Igbo child is not there, that's non of my business. One Nigerianists should fight for them

it shows how selfish your tribe is

By having more children in the prison. There will be a higher head count.

So that the government will send more money to them for upkeep of prisoners.

Then they will cut half of the money.

If boko haram is bad Nigerian army is no good either at the time of the war inside Maiduguri. I know people who join BH jst bcoz of the oppression by the army. But we the people of borno raised and saved our selves not the government. Alhmdl Maiduguri is peaceful now. Nigerian army worst nightmare

BafanaBafana:
Lord have mercy. Nigeria is Fvcked!
Filled with hate filled people. See comments above for proofs

when the head is rotten
What do you expect from the body

Buhari is evil personified

[s]

solmusdesigns:



what exactly do we want as a nation sef, radicalised kids that are trained to make bombs and some are looking for them to be released

If i was the President, i will simply ask Nnamdi kanu to come back home and form his Biafra Secret Service, give him broadcast lisence without disturbance from NBC on hate speech and i will release the guns they shipped in from turkey, i will also free elzakzaky and his shiite groups, Sowore would also be freed and given a free pass for the revolution of seizing the Government.

Since we dont want anyone to handle National seciurity without sentiments, then lets all be free to behave as we deem fit


..

[/s]

FlyingTOMATOE:
If you have watched Beast of No Nation you will understand any child can handle a gun with accurate precision... With little training when you wake up everyday and go about your life in peace, you don't know what you are enjoying

that movie really tore my heart

omocalabar:
If u say northerners are terrorist they will argue wit u, but they still contradict themselves by detaining children...bloody bunch of retards

what are you saying exactly?

ZombieTAMER:


when the head is rotten
What do you expect from the body

Buhari is evil personified

you mean you have an evil mind because you believe the president is an evil person?