By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA- CIVIL Society Organisations, CSOs, Thursday, tasked the Nigerian Army to swing into action and investigate its officers and men accused of rape of women in Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, Camp, in Borno State as reported by Amnesty International, AI.

Protest against Amnesty International

Speaking over the alleged rape by officers and men of the Nigerian Army, the Country Director, Global Rights Nigeria, Abiodun Baiyewu-Teru|, described the act as war crime, therefore condemned the act and called on the Nigerian military authority to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure those who committed the heinous crime were punished.

Baiyewu-Teru charged the government and military to demonstrate and show to the world that they can clean and remove ‘bad eggs’ from the military in order to redeem image of the nation..

She said: “It is unacceptable to us with the sexual misconduct in the IDP camps by some members of the Nigerian Army as reported by Amnesty International. Rape is a crime and as a matter of fact is a war crime. The International Criminal Court is investigating what is going on and the Nigerian Army should also conduct its investigation and make concerted effort to punish erring officers. If the Nigerian Army fails impunity will tarnish its the image.

“There is the disappearances of men who are husbands, brothers and sons in the communities, they were taken away by the Nigerian Army in their communities should account for the missing and the dead, and the obligation of Non-International Arm Conflict in the Geneva Protocol which the Nigerian Army is bound to adhere to. The Nigerian government must call itself to account to the people.”

She also called for compensation to be given to the affected women and a sort of rehabilitation to take away the trauma they have been subjected to.

In the same vein, the Country Director, Nation First Foundation, NFF, Oniawan Elidad, said the Nigerian Army should not take the report of Amnesty International lightly by ensuring an in-house investigation to fish out the perpetrators.

“We are pained by the report released by Amnesty International over the rape carried out by the Nigerian Army in Bama IDP camps.

“We want the Nigerian Army to do its own part of the investigation to weed out those of them who have engaged in this act of rape and ensure they are dealt with.

“This will go a long way to purge the military and restore its image and that of Nigeria in the international community. This move should not be delayed because is a human right abuse and no soldier is above the law.”

Elidad also added that there should not be cover up in this matter, rather the government should support the Nigerian Army to do the needful and safeguard the lives of the victims.