The Senate has set up an investigation into the alleged treatment of women in IDP camps by Nigerian soldiers in the Northeast.
The Senate has asked the Ad Hoc Committee which will be headed by the Chairman Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matter, David Umaru, to investigate the veracity of the report made by Amnesty International on the plight of these women and report back to the lawmakers.
The resolution was reached on Wednesday during plenary after Senator Shehu Sani raised a Point of Order drawing the attention of the Upper chamber to the report by Amnesty International.
The report by Amnesty International alleged that Nigerian soldiers rape and torture women in IDP camps.
In the report which was released in May with the title: ‘They Betrayed Us’. the organisation stated that after having survived the brutal rule of the Boko Haram terrorists, women and children have had to face further abuse by the military in exchange for humanitarian assistance.
The report further stated that as the military recovered territory from the armed group in 2015, it ordered people living in rural villages to the satellite camps and in some cases indiscriminately killed those who remained in their homes.
According to the report, the military was said to have screened everyone arriving at the satellite camps, and in some locations detained most men and boys aged between 14 and 40 as well as women who travelled unaccompanied by their husbands.
“The detention of so many men has left women to care for their families alone,” Amnesty International said.
On its part, the Military, responded to the report, describing it as malicious and untrue.
Also, Senator Shehu stated that the Federal Government dismissed the report.
He has, therefore, asked the Senate to open an investigation into the report which he says has the capacity to undermine Nigeria’s integrity and its fight against terrorism.
