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Amnesty International has asked the Federal Government to release report of a presidential panel which probed the alleged human rights abuses committed by the Nigeria military.
The rights group described the delay of the government in releasing the report three years after it was submitted to the President, as a display of contempt for victims.
Osai Ojigho, Amnesty International country director said this in a statement on Friday.
“The failure of Nigerian authorities to release the report of the Presidential Panel that purportedly investigated compliance of armed forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement, three years after the report was submitted to the President is a gross display of contempt for victims,” said Ojigho.
“Many Nigerians showed incredible courage to testify to the panel, in the hope that, at the end it will lead to justice. But three years is so long and too long for victims to continue waiting for the release of the panel’s report; which is a key step to justice for victims.
“We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfill the promise he made in 2015 to end impunity by immediately releasing the report. Victims and the larger public in Nigeria deserve to see and scrutinize the findings.
“Previous such investigations have ended up without any tangible outcome on the side of justice. Nigerian authorities have the duty to ensure that the country’s security forces comply with international law obligations and ensure prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations of all allegations of violations.
“Failure to disclose the report of the panel, an important first step towards justice, is a shameful betrayal of these victims and another marker of the lack of political will by Nigerian authorities to bring alleged perpetrators to justice.
“It is an abysmal failure, a devastating setback for rule of law that only perpetuates the culture of impunity which so pervasive in Nigeria.”
