Army releases 1,250 cleared Boko Haram suspects

The Nigeria Army on Monday said it has released 1,250 Boko Haram suspects who have been cleared of no links with insurgency.
Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu, the General Officer Commanding 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, disclosed this when the Head of Sub Delegation of ICRC, Beat Mosimann, visited him at the Maimalari cantonment in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Ezugwu said that the cleared suspects were released in about seven batches after being cleared of having no link with Boko Haram.
Ezugwu said: “We are keeping this on the regular release because the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Burutai, wants us to ensure that it is only people who have contact and connection with Boko Haram that have insurgency issues to sort that should be detained so that those who do not have contact should be released.
“By the end of this January and February, another batch of detainees would be cleared.
“The ICRC wants us to collaborate in the area of welfare for our detainees and we have assured them that we are going to continue doing our best in terms of welfare in accordance with international practice.
“Our approach in handling detained suspects is multi-agency so what we do is that we collaborate with NGOs so that once there is gap in what we are doing, they will tell us.
“In terms of feeding, we are providing solid Nigerian foods for the detainees; good food supplement that would enhance their wellbeing.
“Access to exercise and the best out of accommodation; we are hoping that things will get better in 2017.”
Mosimann had earlier said the ICRC had mapped out several programmes in 2017 to assist IDPs who would soon be returning back to their respective liberated communities.
Mosimann said: “We have discussed with the army on issues of protection, especially that of the detainees, which was part of our mandate to see how we can improve on that.
“It is part of our mandate, which was stipulated in Geneva Convention to assist wounded persons, not just soldiers, but anybody who is wounded in a conflict situation.
“Our job is purely humanitarian. The humanitarian situation had quite improved. We thank the army for supporting the people in librating their communities and ICRC will support this people to go back.”