- A Boko Haram insurgents holding facility is being constructed by the Nigerian Army in Borno
- The facility is to help improve detainee management of insurgents during investigations
- According to the Army, the facility is for the insurgents who must be properly catered for in accordance with international best practices
The Nigerian Army says it has embarked on the construction of a holding facility in Borno to improve detainee management of insurgents during investigations.
Brigadier General Texas Chukwu, the director of Army public relations, said this in a statement on Friday, November 16, in Maiduguri.
Chukwu said that the project had become imperative to enhance the management of detained insurgents, in accordance with international best practices.
The statement said that Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, was represented at the foundation-laying ceremony of the project by Major General Enobong Udoh, the chief of logistics, Army headquarters.
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Buratai said that the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North-East had necessitated the arrest and detention of suspected insurgents, who must be properly catered for in accordance with international best practices.
“The quest for a functional safe holding facility, with adequate sanitary conditions for effective management of suspected insurgents for further investigation, is the driving force behind the execution of the project.
“To relieve the frontline units of the responsibility of administering arrested suspects, there is the need to have a facility where suspects will be kept and properly managed.
“This is the reason why the Joint Investigation Centre was established,’’ he added.
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Buratai said that the facility would also serve as transit holding and detention centre for suspected insurgents before handing them over to the relevant prosecution or rehabilitation agencies.
Markus Dolder, the head of sub-delegation of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), lauded the project, describing it as “indication of compliance by the Nigerian Army with global best practices”.
Dolder said that the project would strengthen the cooperation between the Army and other stakeholders in the management of suspects under investigation.
“I am very much impressed about the efforts that have been launched over the last few months; they are more than what we actually thought could come, and this is more than what we could potentially dream of,’’ he said.
He called on the Nigerian Army to keep its own part of the bargain by striving to meet global best practices in ensuring the welfare and well-being of detainees.
The event was attended by Maj.-Gen. Abba Dikko, the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Brigaduer General Abdulmalik Biu, the acting general officer commanding, 7 Division, and Brigadier General Ibrahim Salihu, the commander, Joint Investigation Centre.
Others at the event include Inuwa Garba, the Comptroller, Nigeria Prison Service, Borno Command, and Amro Ibrahim, ICRC’s deputy head of sub delegation in Borno, as well as representatives of the police.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the government of the United Kingdom has restated its commitment to support the Nigerian Army in the fight against Boko Haram and terrorism in the northeast.
The UK Secretary of State for Defence, Garvin Williamson, gave the assurance when he visited the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Abba Dikko.
Chukwu quoted Williamson as saying that the UK military would sustain the existing mutual relations with its Nigerian counterpart.
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