Nigeria Committed to Human Rights in Fight Against Insurgency, Says Defence Minister

The Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has commended the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) for its notable humanitarian activities in Nigeria, mostly in the NorthEast region. In a statement, the Director of Information and Public Relations, represented by Captain Moses Yare, said the Minister stated this while receiving a delegation of the ICRC in his office at the Ministry of Defence headquarters Abuja. Captain Moses Yare further quoted the Minister as saying that Nigeria is committed to promoting human rights and obeying all international best practices and protocols in civil-military relationship.

General Musa decried the level of insurgence in the North East and North West parts of Nigeria and appealed to all stakeholders to be part of the ongoing fight against insurgence. He said security is everybody’s business and all must unite against terrorism. Captain Moses Yare noted that the Minister made these remarks during the meeting with the ICRC delegation.

Earlier, the head of ICRC, Doris El Doueihy, expressed appreciation for the continued collaboration with the Nigerian military, describing it as “great” and essential to delivering assistance in conflict affected areas. She also thanked the Nigerian government for the recent launch of a new training programme for military police in Zaria. She reaffirmed the ICRC’s strong working relationship with the Nigerian Army as part of its expanded humanitarian operations in the North East and North West and noted a significant increase in the ICRC presence in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states. Captain Moses Yare further reported that the ICRC emphasized that prolonged detention without family contacting the suspect should not be encouraged and appealed to the Minister to ensure Red Cross members have access to detainees to establish contact with family members.

She thanked the Minister for progress on detainee hearings and encouraged faster coordination with the Ministry of Justice to reduce overcrowding in detention facilities.