The Nigerian military has released hundreds of men who were arbitrarily detained – allegedly profiled as “terrorists” or as having some sort of connection with “extremist” groups – at the peak of the insurgency.
Most of the men who were released on Wednesday and Thursday, April 5 and 6, were detained between 2014 and 2015. They were released from facilities in states across the country, such as Lagos in the southwest, Kainji in the north central and the Giwa Barracks in Borno.
But it is estimated that there are 11,000 innocent missing men still in detention and their families are fuming because, while they remain in prison, the government has released at least 80,000 “repentant” insurgents who were guilty of horrendous crimes against their own people.
Some of the innocent men released last week are the sons, husbands and relatives of women who are members of the Allamin Foundation for Peace and Development, a non-profit, non-political, non-religious and non-governmental peace-building organisation that has been working with the Jire Dole Network to help women to get justice for their detained men.
Jire Dole, which means “truth is necessary”, is a network of women whose husbands and sons went missing – mostly detained under false pretenses by the military.
Hajjja Gana Suleiman, executive president of Jire Dole, told RNI that women around the country were extremely excited that their innocent sons and husbands – whom, they said, had been falsely detained by the military and other security agencies – had been released from prisons in Lagos State, Kainji, by the Department of State Security Service (DSS) office and from the Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri.
“Those detainees who were released from prisons in other parts of the country were transported to a camp in Gombe State before being bused to Maiduguri on Wednesday, April 5, arriving in the city at about 8pm.
“On Thursday, April 6, at about 6am, I went to the facility where they are being temporarily kept and I met the men. Their leader told me that about 600 men had been released.
“While they were in detention, they had received training in various skills, such as tailoring, cap-making and carpentry, among others.
“Some women were lucky enough to see their sons, husbands and relatives again after so many years. Unfortunately, I did not see my son who was falsely arrested and detained by the military in 2014.”
Suleiman said that based on the data she had received, there were still about 11,000 innocent missing men believed to be in detention.
“We will continue to fight for their release and demand that the government, military and other security agencies release them.”
Hamsatu Al-amin, executive director of the Allamin Foundation in Borno State, told RNI that the organisation had been working for years to get the innocent men freed.
“Some of the women who are members or work for the foundation have been reunited with their sons and husbands. We have been struggling for so many years to ensure that the innocent men be released. But there are thousands of innocent men who are still in custody. We will continue our efforts to get them released.”
Fatima Hassan’s two sons were arrested and detained by the military. She told RNI that although she was pleased to hear about the release of the innocent men, she was sad because she had not heard news of her sons’ release.
“They were falsely arrested in the Gwange area of Maiduguri and detained during the peak of the Boko Haram [Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS)] insurgency.
“We are grateful to the military for releasing some of the men but I’m pleading with the government, the army and other security agencies to release the remaining men.
“We are very unhappy that thousands of our innocent men are still being detained while the military is releasing Boko Haram insurgents and allowing them to reunite with their families and live in their former communities.
“Surely the military should release our innocent men before releasing the repentant insurgents? How is it that those who actually committed vicious and deadly crimes against our people are being released before those who are innocent? The Nigerian Army needs to shift its focus.”
SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO
