President Buhari has ordered the immediate release of Boko Haram
prisoners who have been cleared of any links with the terror group.
Subsequently, the Nigeria Army on Monday said it has released 1,250
Boko Haram suspects, cleared of links with
the terrorist group.
The General Officer Commanding 7 Division of the army,
Brig.-Gen. Victor Ezugwu, disclosed this when the Head of
Sub Delegation of ICRC, Mr. Beat Mosimann, visited him
at the Maimalari cantonment in Maiduguri.
Ezugwu said that the cleared suspects were released in
about seven batches after been cleared of having links with
Boko Haram .
He said, “We are keeping this on the regular release
because the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Burutai,
want us to ensure that it is only people who has contact and
connection with Boko Haram that have insurgency issues
to sort that should be detained so that those who do not
have contact should be released.
“By the end of this January and February another batch of
detainees would be cleared.
“The ICRC wants us to collaborate in the area of welfare for
our detainees and we have assured them that we are going
to continue doing our best interns of welfare in accordance
with the international practice.
“Our approach in handling detained suspects is multi
agency so what we do is that we collaborate with NGOs so
that once there is gap in what we are doing they will tell us.
“In terms of feeding, we are providing solid Nigerian foods
for the detainees; good food supplement that would
enhance their wellbeing.
“Access to exercise and the best out of accommodation. We
are hoping that things will get better in 2017.’’
Mosimann had earlier said that ICRC has mapped out
several programmes in 2017 to assist IDPs who would soon
be returning back to their respective liberated communities.
He said, “We have discussed with the army on issues of
protection of especially that of the detainees which was
part of our mandate to see how we can improve on that.
“It is part of our mandate, which was stipulated in Geneva
convention, to assist wounded persons not just soldiers but
anybody who is wounded in a conflict situation.
“Our job is purely humanitarian. The humanitarian
situation had quite improved. We thank the army for
supporting the people in liberating their communities and
ICRC will support this people to go back.”
NAN
