The Human Rights Commission has inaugurated a special independent investigative panel to probe the human‑rights‑violation allegations leveled against the military overseeing the North‑East counter‑insurgency operations. The move follows a three‑part report published last December by Reuters, which implicated the Nigerian military in grave abuses, including secret abortions, infanticide and other forms of sexual and gender‑based violence over the past ten years.
Last week, the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, named a seven‑member panel chaired by former Supreme Court Judge Justice Abdu Aboki to examine the case. At the inaugural event on Tuesday, Ojukwu said the National Human Rights Commission “has invoked its inherent, express and incidental powers as contained in sections 5 and 6 of the NHRC Act as amended to constitute a special independent investigative panel.”
The panel’s mandate is to review the Reuters reports, determine the culpability of individuals and institutions, and make appropriate recommendations. Specifically, it will investigate allegations of gross violations of national and international human‑rights laws alleged against the Nigerian Armed Forces; receive memoranda from interested individuals and organisations, particularly human‑rights, security and humanitarian groups operating in the North‑East; and assess responsibility on a case‑by‑case basis.
The panel is also empowered to determine damages or compensation where necessary, refer matters requiring prosecution to the Attorney General of the Federation or a State, and recommend institutional, policy and regulatory measures to integrate human‑rights principles into military and counter‑insurgency operations. It will propose remedial steps to enhance the professional conduct of military personnel in such operations.
Members were selected from relevant professional backgrounds, including law and human rights, medicine and psychology, military intelligence and humanitarian affairs. Secretary Ojukwu affirmed that the panel will utilise all available resources to investigate the allegations thoroughly and ensure that justice is served in every case.
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