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Nigerian rights panel, underfunded and overmatched, begins probe of powerful military

Nigerian rights panel, underfunded and overmatched, begins probe of powerful military

LIBBY GEORGE A special panel named by Nigeria's National Human Rights Commission launched an investigation into recent Reuters reports on rights abuses by the country’s army. Those familiar with the commission’s past work say it faces stiff challenges. The state-funded NHRC does its best to press officials to act in the interest of citizens whose rights have been violated, eight sources with knowledge of the commission said. But they said the NHRC, whose inquiry was supported by the government amid an international outcry, is hobbled by a lack of authority to compel military leaders and other officials to prosecute or…
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Nigeria probes army violations

Nigeria probes army violations

A special Nigerian human rights panel began investigating Reuters reports that the army massacred children and ran a secret abortion programme when fighting Islamist insurgents and said it would refer for prosecution those it considered guilty of rights violations. The Nigerian military has denied the reports and said it would not carry out an investigation because they were not true. Anthony Ojukwu, executive secretary of the government-appointed National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), publicly launched the seven-member investigation panel led by a retired Supreme Court judge in Abuja. Ojukwu said the investigations followed "allegations of gross human rights violations contained in the three-part…
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