55 people died in military detention centre in Maiduguri – GAW

Global Amnesty Watch Foundation, a human right watch organization has disclosed that 55 people died during the course of investigation of their alleged link with Boko Haram at the Giwa Barracks detention facility in Maiduguri.
Amnesty International has however described Giwa Barracks as a place of death where they accused Nigerian Military of arbitrarily detention of Boko Haram suspects causing the death of over 240 people including about 29 children.
The army has since denied the report.
In a fact finding mission of human right violation by troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, the Country Representative of Global Amnesty Watch Foundation, Helen Adesola in a press briefing in Maiduguri disclosed that 55 people died at the military detention camp in Maiduguri.
According to her, those deaths occurred before 593 Boko Haram suspects were cleared and handed over to the Borno state government for rehabilitation at Bulumkutu rehabilitation centre.
Mrs Adesola noted that their findings’ resulting to the causes of the death was as a result of “heat wave” instead of meningitis as was reported in the media.
“Medically, the treatment and prevention for heat waves is the exposure of the detainees to fresh air and proper hydration. This the centre is doing as the detainees are being brought out into the open to sit under trees and adequate drinking water is being provided
“The detention facility, like many other communities dealing with this kind of issues requires additional intervention to ensure that authorities are able to better cater for sick inmates,” Mrs. Adesola explained
She called on  the Borno state government to be in the drivers seat in the rehabilitation of  over 593 cleared detainees who are mostly   citizens and residents of the state, stressing that, “The Borno state government must not abandon them even though they are being held on the suspicion of their linkages with Boko Haram terror group,” .
The Foundation, unlike Amnesty International which sees Nigeria Military as huge violators of human rights at Giwa Barrack said the Nigerian Army, is doing all within its power to ensure the well-being of detainees in custody, but however express need for an improvement.

POSTED BY:OPUOMONI PRIYE
DATE:04/21/2017