AMNESTY International (AI) has urged the Nigerian government to ensure the safe release of more than 687 individuals who were taken captive by gunmen in Borno and Kaduna states.
In Borno, suspected Boko Haram insurgents abducted over 400 individuals, including women and children, from Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Gamboru Ngala, Babban Sansani, Zulum, and Arabic settlements.
Additionally, around 287 school children were kidnapped when armed assailants attacked the LEA Primary and Secondary School in Kuriga village, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
In response to these events, Isa Sanusi, the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, criticized the authorities for their failure to safeguard citizens from armed group assaults that have claimed numerous lives over the past five years.
Amnesty International called on the Nigerian government to take immediate action to secure the safe release and return of the abducted individuals to their families.
The organization also emphasized the need for thorough, impartial, independent, effective, and transparent investigations into the recurring abduction cases across the country, with the perpetrators brought to justice through fair trials.
Amnesty International criticized the Nigerian government for its inability to stop the ongoing attacks by gunmen nationwide, suggesting that the recent abductions underscore the administration’s lack of a comprehensive strategy to address the escalating violence.
The group expressed doubt about the effectiveness of President Bola Tinubu’s security measures, stating that the government’s current approach is ineffective in curbing the atrocities committed by armed groups and gunmen.
Amnesty International insisted that protecting lives and property should be a top priority for the government, condemning the consistent failure to ensure people’s safety and calling for accountability for those responsible for the security lapses in the affected areas.
