The Chief of Civil-Military Affairs (Army), Markus Kangye, said the Nigerian Army received more than 500 complaints of human rights violations committed during counter-insurgency operations since 2016.
Mr Kangye said this during the first quarter Civil-Military Cooperation, CIMIC, media chat on Tuesday in Abuja adding that appropriate sanctions were applied where necessary.
He said the formation of the Civil-Military Legal Desk, CMLD, in February 2016 to address alleged human rights violations by troops during internal security and counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations was a milestone.
According to him, the desk, which is a cell under this department, receives and facilitates investigations of alleged human rights violations against military personnel and recommends appropriate sanctions.
Mr Kangye said that the desk was established at the various divisions to address similar issues in their respective areas of responsibility, adding that plans were being made to establish same at unit level.
He said that all the complaints received were investigated, adding that some of the complaints were found credible while some were not.
“This underscores the premium the COAS places on human rights issues.
“In order to drive this policy, 24-hour call centre, with designated short code, 193, was established on May 30, 2017 to receive emergency calls.
“Since inception, the desk has received over 500 complaints which were treated and appropriate sanctions applied where necessary.
“Thus, available statistics show that there has been a drastic reduction in litigation cases involving Nigerian army personnel in recent times.
“This could be attributed to the constant sensitisation workshops to human rights conducted across the divisions and formations coupled with the impact of the desk’s sanctions on offenders,” he said.
Mr Kangye said the media chat was organised in line with army’s drive toward keeping the media informed of its CIMIC and Civil-Military Relations, CMR, activities
He said it was a means of eliminating rumours as well as providing accurate and timely information in line with international best practices.
According to him, the forum presents an avenue for the department to engage with various media practitioners for a better understanding.
He said it was with a view to charting a mutually benefitting relationship to improve media reportage and the non-kinetic lines of army operations.
credit/NAN