The key to solving the age long o Boko Haram crisis is the
proper administration of justice, Amnesty International (AI) has said.
Speaking in Maiduguri on Saturday during a solidarity visit to about 2,000
women, whose husband were alleged detained by the military over three years ago
in connection with Boko Haram insurgency, the Country Director of Amnesty
International Nigeria office (AIN), Mrs. Osai Ojigho asked the Nigeria
government to ensure that all stakeholders in the crisis get justice.
She lamented that a situation where the husbands of the women are detained
without recourse to the law court would further worsen the crisis and build bad
blood.
The woman, under the movement of KNIFAR, said that it is very imperative to
bring the perpetrators of the crimes to justice.
“I know that it has not been easy for everyone, particularly the people of
Borno state that have lost so much due to Boko Haram crisis, to heal from the
pains. We have lost many lives, and communities. We can only reclaim lives if
human rights is put on the front burner of all issues, whether at State,
Federal or local government level.
“We have been calling for justice, justice for everyone that has suffered
lost of families, properties and livelihood, justice for those who have caused
this pain, who have brought this calamity upon us.
“We have been calling for an end to this insurgency, for an end to
injustice and in the course of this we discovered abnormalities on the fight
against insurgency and how it has affected family life, women, children,
fathers, uncle, grandfathers and grandmothers, the entire family cycle.
“Familes are no longer together, families that they do not know where
their love ones are whether they are dead or alive, even those that are alive
have suffered great calamities that will remain with them for the rest of their
lives and this is the story of KNIFAR Women. But to ensure this does not happen
again we need to put in place law and systems that will punish those who commit
these crimes, it is very important.”
Earlier, the Executive Director Al-amin Foundation, also an NGO known as Jireh
Dole Network, Hajjia Alamin Hamsatu disclosed that a total of 2,000 women that
seperate from their husbands in Banki town, Bama Local Government have come
together under KNIFAR Foundation to demand for the whereabout of their
families.
“We have more than 2,000 women
calling on the authority for where their sons, husbands and fathers from
Banki, Bama town, in Borno State are.”
She lamented that these people were arrested and detained by authority for
years with the public not knowing if they are alive or dead. “Many of their
children are asking after their parents but the mother didn’t have answer to
them.
She said: “I never knew that the world could hear us, I am impressed with these
support show AIN and supporters, we call on the CSOs to join us to demands for
the release of these people.”
