AMNESTY International (AI) has said poverty, human rights abuse and insecurity rose in Nigeria 2022.
The international human rights organisation stated this in its 2022 annual report released on Monday, March 27.
The report titled ‘Amnesty International Report 2022/23: State of the World’s Human Rights’, highlighted the drastic effects of conflicts in many Sub-Saharan African countries, including Nigeria, while blaming the development on failure of leadership and global organisations.
The report stated that new conflicts broke out and protracted ones persisted.
It also noted that government forces and armed groups were all responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses.
The report further highlighted the failure of the Nigerian government to protect lives and properties of people from various abuses committed by armed groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP, as well as unknown bandits.
“According to media reports, they killed at least 6,907 people, abducted 6,157 and forcibly transferred or internally displaced at least 2,000.
“Attacks by Boko Haram, which had been predominantly in the North-East, spread to some states in North-Central and northwestern Nigeria during the year.
“Attacks by Boko Haram directed against civilians, such as those targeting villagers, farming communities and highway and train passengers, amounted to war crimes.”
Amnesty International noted that security forces in Nigeria consistently violated human rights in the context of military operations conducted in the North-East and their excessive use of force on citizens.
The report added that many Nigerians are still languishing poor condition of living across internally displaced persons’ camps across the country.
“There remained more than 2.4 million internally displaced people in north-eastern Nigeria.
“In an attempt to resettle all internally displaced people living in Maiduguri, the Borno state government closed four camps in July and resettled 11,000 households. Most of the resettled people lacked sufficient food and access to basic amenities.”
The report indicated that the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia has disrupted the chain of supply of wheat that many African countries depend on, leading to a surge in the prices of food.
“Food insecurity worsened due to conflict and drought in several African countries, leaving many people facing acute hunger including in Angola, Burkina Faso, CAR, Chad, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
“In Angola, food insecurity in the Cunene, Huíla and Namibe provinces was among the worst in the world and in some of these areas, adults and children resorted to eating stalks of grass to survive.”
The report however, stated that journalists, human rights activists and opposition were repressed and intimidated in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Guinea, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal and Zimbabwe.
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