Targeting militants, Nigeria to require ID cards in the northeast
ABUJA: Nigeria will require anyone moving through three northeastern states to carry identification cards in an effort to root out members of Boko Haram and Islamic State, the army said yesterday. The new requirement follows credible information that members of the two militant groups were hiding among civilians in the towns and villages of the states, an army statement said.
The army said it would “strictly check” the identification cards of those moving or passing through the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. Those found without identification would “attract further scrutiny and comprehensive investigation to determine his or her activities with the insurgents or otherwise”, it said.
Last week, the army forced non-profit Action Against Hunger to close its office in the region, accusing it of aiding groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State by providing members with food and medicine. The decade-long insurgency led by Islamist militant group Boko Haram has killed some 30,000 people and forced more than 2 million to flee their homes. Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) split from Boko Haram in 2016.
UN report on violence In another development, Nigeria has rejected the findings of a UN report on violence in the country accusing it of simply blaming the government of President Muhammadu Buhari. “While we agree that the violence in Nigeria, or in any country, is a major concern and that there is a rippling effect, we are disappointed that the rapporteur was silent on intra-group violence,” presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement. Shehu said defended the government saying it was trying its best to end the violence. “There is absolutely no doubt that violence between farmers and herders, which has a long history in our country spiked in recent years but the effectiveness with which the federal and state authorities responded made a big difference,” he said.
Calm has virtually returned to all parts affected by the peculiar violence, he added. Shehu called for the support of the UN rapporteur in reporting government efforts to end the conflicts, rejecting a report that he said “scratches the surface of the subject then ends up blaming the government under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari”.
In a preliminary report at the end of a 12-day visit to Nigeria, Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard accused the government of not doing enough to end the violence between herders and farmers in central Nigeria as well as the kidnappings for ransom and banditry in the northwest which have claimed thousands of lives in recent months.
The report also called on Nigeria to stop extra-judicial killings by security forces in the country. Local and global rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have accused Nigerian security agents of abuses and summary executions of suspects. Hundreds of Boko Haram detainees have been killed over the decade-long jihadist uprising, while dozens of civilians have died in police custody. The security forces have repeatedly denied the allegations. — Agencies