Defence Headquarters Says AFN Operates Within International Laws of Armed Conflicts, Debunks Amnesty International Report

The Defence Headquarters has stated that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is a professional military force that operates within the ambit of International law of armed conflict, adhering to humanitarian law and principles governing human rights.  

The DHQ in a statement through the Director Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba was reacting to allegations labelled against the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) by Report of Amnesty International. 

Names of missing Chibok school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgency five years ago are displayed during the 5th year anniversary of their abduction, in Abuja

 

Amnesty International on Monday accused the Nigerian army of illegally detaining girls and young women who have escaped from Boko Haram captivity because the military believes they support the Islamist insurgent group.

The human rights group said their data was based on 126 interviews from 2019 to 2024 with female former captives out of which thirty-one said they were unlawfully held in military barracks for several days to almost four years between 2015 and mid-2023. 

The Defence Headquarters in the statement said it would encourage organisations such as the Amnesty International to approach the military high command to substantiate their allegations as the military has self regulating mechanisms with which it administers the military justice system to address any proven case of misconduct of personnel. 

The statement further said the AFN led by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa OFR, has zero tolerance for indiscipline and any form of improper conduct during operations across the country. It is for this reason that, there are standing court martials to treat any form of misbehaviour by erring personnel, especially those that portray the military negatively to the general populace. 

The DHQ stressed that the AFN will remain focussed on its objective and will be unperturbed by such self serving statements targeted at dampening the moral of troops in operational theatres, continueing on the trajectory of conducting operations assiduously to defeat terrorism in the nation. 

It also encouraged Amnesty International to engage constructively with the Military where available.