Senate investigates Amnesty Report on rape of women in IDPs camps

Wednesday, June 6, 2018 6:16 pm

Shehu Sani

The Senate is investigating the report by Amnesty International on an alleged ill treatment of women in Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs)in the Northeast.

This is sequel to a Point of Order by Sen. Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna) at Wednesday’s plenary.

According to him, it is a report that contains details of alleged inhuman and degrading treatments of women in the Northeast IDPs camps.

“It is a report that carries empirical evidence of torture, rape and starvation of women in the North-eastern part of Nigeria.

“Many of these women are those who have survived or escaped Boko Haram attack and invasion,” he said.

He said that as a democracy, Nigeria had twin obligation to prosecute war against terror but in every possible way, protect and defend the fundamental rights of Nigerians.

“It is of concern that this report impinges on the integrity, the image and reputation of not only the security forces of Nigeria but Nigeria as a country.

“This damning and indicting report that is presented before the Nigerian public and globally, has the capacity and the ability of denting the war on terror in Nigeria.

“We should see human rights report as a mirror and as a compass; a mirror that will give us the shape of ourselves, the image of our actions in the Northeast and the need to make amends.

Contributing, the Deputy Senate Leader, Sen. Bala Na’Allah, urged his colleagues to understand the intricate nature of the war against the insurgents.

“We must understand that we are not fighting with a defined enemy,” he said.

In his remarks, President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki said “we will look at the terms of engagement because it goes beyond human rights.”