Amnesty: Panel investigating army must make findings public

Amnesty International (AI) says findings of the judicial panel set up to investigate allegations of human rights violations by the Nigerian army must be made public.

After allegations of extrajudicial killings were levelled against the military by AI, the federal government had set up a commission to probe the claims.

The commission, which is headed by Biobele Georgewill, a justice of the court of appeal, will start its sitting on Monday.

In a statement issued at the weekend, Osai Ojigho, AI director in Nigeria, said stakeholders, affected persons, and institutions submitting memorandum to the panel must be protected from any form of threat.

It also restated its earlier stance that the panel must be “independent, impartial and effective”.

The statement read: “The establishment of this investigative panel is an opportunity for Nigeria to ensure justice for victims of the countless allegations of war crimes by the military in the country – and it must not be wasted.

“However, the panel will only be able to achieve these goals if international standards and best practices on thorough, effective, independent and impartial investigations are guaranteed and implemented.”

Ojigho added that although the panel has published its terms of reference, its mandate, working methods, and scope of investigations are yet to be clarified.

“The panel should also publicly clarify the procedures that will be followed during the hearings and whether the findings would be made public,” she said.

“As a starting point, it is crucial that victims and witnesses are protected from harassment, threats, ill-treatment or reprisals to ensure they can make submissions to the panel without fear.”

She also called on the federal government to ensure the panel has the resources to facilitate its work and protect its independence.

“These includes adequate financial support, plus expertise in criminal investigation, forensic analysis, legal analysis, witness protection, gender advice and data management,” she added.

“The Nigerian government’s responsibilities go beyond merely investigating these human rights violations; it must also ensure the panel has the mandate to make recommendations to bring the perpetrators of these violations to justice.”

In June, a panel set up by the Nigerian army had cleared troops of the allegations of extrajudicial killings but AI stood by its report which indicted the military of the alleged crimes.