We’re unperturbed by your self-serving comments, military replies Amnesty Int’l

The military high command, on Monday, knocked Amnesty International, a rights organisation, over its report indicting the military of violating international law of armed conflicts.

Amnesty International released an investigative report detailing the plight of Boko Haram victims in the North East.

The report, titled, ‘Help us build our lives’: Girl survivors of Boko Haram and military abuses in north-east Nigeria’, captured experiences of how girls who escaped Boko Haram captivity were “reunited” with their surrendered “husbands” in government-owned facilities.

Reacting, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, described the organisation’s findings and comments as self-serving statements “targeted at dampening the morale of troops in operational theatres.”

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Buba, a Major-General, maintained that despite the moral-dampening comments against the military, the Armed Forces of Nigeria would remain unperturbed and continue to carry out its duties accordingly in line with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria will remain focussed on its objective. We will be unperturbed by such self-serving statements targeted at dampening the morale of troops in operational theatres,” the senior military officer said.

According to him, the military would not join issues with the organisation but rather engage it constructively, where available, adding that the troops would continue on the trajectory of conducting operations assiduously to defeat terrorism.

He said, “The Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) is a professional military force that operates within the ambit of international law of armed conflict and adheres to humanitarian law and principles governing human rights.

“The military has self-regulating mechanisms with which it administers the military justice system to address any proven case of misconduct of personnel.

“It is worthy of note to state that the AFN, led by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has zero tolerance for indiscipline and any form of improper conduct during operations across the country.

“It is for this reason that there are standing court martials to treat any form of misbehaviour by erring personnel, especially those that portray the military negatively to the general populace.”