The Senate Wednesday constituted an ad-hoc committee to investigate the alleged abuses of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the troubled North-Eastern part of the country.
Chairman of the committee is Senator David Umaru from Niger state.
This resolution followed an adopted order 42 raised by Senator Shehu Sani representing Kaduna central senatorial district.
In his explanation, Sani said, “This is a report compiled and publicly presented by the Amnesty International. It is a report that contains details of inhuman and degrading treatments of women in the North-east IDPs camps.
“It is a report that carries empirical evidence of torture, rape and starvation of women in the North-eastern part of Nigeria. Many of these women are those who have survived or escaped Boko Haram attack and invasion. As a democracy, we have twin obligation to prosecute war against terror but in every possible way, protect and defend the fundamental rights of Nigerians.
“It is of concern that this report impinges on the integrity, the image and reputation of not only the security forces if Nigeria but Nigeria as a country. We have seen reports like this by such a credible international organisation being discussed globally.
“This damning and indicting report that is presented before the Nigerian public and globally, has the capacity and the ability of denting the war on terror in Nigeria.
“This report is not simply a thesis by the Amnesty International, it contains names, identity, photographs, instances and personal confessions of victims of this rape, starvation and torture in the North-eastern part of Nigeria.
“As a Parliament, there is this duty for us to deliberate and discuss this issue with the view of bringing the culprits to book, and also making the necessary amends so that the war against insurgency in Nigeria is not seen globally as a recourse to violating the fundamental human rights of citizens who are also victims. Our security agencies should preoccupy themselves with protecting lives and property of our people and not dissipating their energy on issues that are of no value.
“The response that followed this report was simply a dismissal by the Presidency and the Nigerian security forces. But I think as Parliament, we have a duty to address this issue,” Sani said.
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