Seventeen Nigerian migrants who survived a deadly sea crossing last year have filed a lawsuit against Italy for violating their rights by supporting Libya’s efforts to return them to North Africa, their lawyers said on Tuesday.

The plaintiffs, two of whom have returned to Nigeria, petitioned the European Court of Human Rights last week, Violeta Moreno-Lax, a legal advisor for the Global Legal Action Network, told reporters. She was among four lawyers and several humanitarian groups involved in the case.

The migrants, who were not identified, said Italy violated multiple articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, including that people not be subjected to torture, held in slavery, or have their lives put in danger.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of a new Battalion of the Nigerian Army, as well as a new Police Area Command, in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, as part of measures to scale up the security response to the banditry affecting the area.

Four suicide bombers struck Mairanti, a village near Maiduguri in Nigeria’s Borno state on Thursday night.

An explosion was heard at about 10:00 pm when most residents were indoors, but no casualties were recorded except the bombers.

The recruitment of 6,000 Nigerians into the Nigeria Police Force as constables will commence on Monday, May 7.

A statement from the Police Service Commission (PSC) on Thursday revealed that the exercise would take place in the 36 State Police Command Headquarters across the country, as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

The Head of PSC Press and Public Relations, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, who signed the statement noted that the exercise would start with the screening of the applicants’ physical attributes and their credentials.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, has described the arraignment of Senator Dino Melaye in a stretcher as unacceptable in a civilised society.

In a press statement received by Channels Television on Thursday, Mr Falana said the action of the police violated the fundamental rights of the lawmaker.

Emerging reports indicate that the Federal Government has deployed a combined team of more security personnel to Benue state to address the increasing incidents of killings by suspected herdsmen. The State Governor, Samuel Ortom stated this on Thursday on the floor of the Benue State House of Assembly where he was summoned my members to brief the House on efforts being put in place to end killings in the state.