AI: 149 persons died in horrendous conditions in Giwa detention

Amnesty International (AI) has published a shocking report about the Nigerian army titling ‘If you see it, you will cry: Life and death in Giwa barracks’. 

The organization said at least 11 children under the age of six, comprising four babies, are among 149 people who have died this year following their detention in horrendous conditions in Giwa barracks detention centre in Maiduguri, Borno state capital. 

AI collected facts via interviews with former detainees and eyewitnesses, backed by video and photos. The evidence shows many detainees may have died from disease, hunger, dehydration, and gunshots wounds. 

The report also contains satellite imagery which corroborates witness testimonies. 

“The discovery that babies and young children have died in appalling conditions in military detention is both harrowing and horrifying. We have repeatedly sounded the alarm over the high death rate of detainees in Giwa barracks but these findings show that, for both adults and children, it remains a place of death.” 

“There can be no excuses and no delay. The detention facilities in Giwa barracks must be immediately closed and all detainees released or transferred to civilian authorities. The government must urgently introduce systems to ensure the safety and well-being of children released from detention.”

Source: MENA