The International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, has called on the Nigerian military authorities to deal humanely with the suspects who were being detained for alleged links with the Boko Haram terrorist group.

Head of the Sub Delegation of ICRC, Beat Mosimann, made this call when he visited the General Officer Commanding 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Victor Ezugwu, at the Maimalari cantonment in Maiduguri on Monday.

Mosimann said that while the suspects were being screened by the army to determine whether they had connections with the insurgents, they should be protected and treated with dignity.

He stated that it was part of the mandate of the Red Cross to see to the wellbeing of people wounded in conflict irrespective of which side they were on.

“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,” he said.

The Red Cross boss also disclosed that the organization has mapped out several programmes in 2017 to assist Internally Displaced Persons who are set to return to their liberated communities.

“Our job is purely humanitarian,” he said, “the humanitarian situation had quite improved.

“We thank the army for supporting the people in liberating their communities and ICRC will support this people to go back.”

In his reply, Ezugwu said that the army has released a total of 1,250 Boko Haram suspects who had been successfully screened and cleared of links with the terrorist group.

He added that the suspects were being released in batches.

He said: “We are keeping on this regular release because the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Burutai, wants us to ensure that it is only people who has contact and connection with Boko Haram … 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 army general assured the ICRC and the international community that the army is going to continue doing its best with regards to the welfare of detainees in accordance with the international practice.

“Our approach in handling detained suspects is multi agency,” he said.

“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 food for the detainees; good food supplement that would enhance their wellbeing, (as well as) “access to exercise and the best of accommodation.

“We are hoping that things will get better in 2017,” Ezugwu added.