The Nigerian military has appealed to human rights organisations to carry the military along during any human rights violation investigations involving the armed forces.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, made the call at a seminar on the “administration of military justice system” on Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
He decried that most times, the military was indicted before they were asked to comment on the recommendations of a report.
General Buratai noted that the military should be involved from the moment the violations were identified and co-opted into the investigation process.
He told the gathering that the military had established a human rights desk to address the perceived impunity carried out in the army.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Professor Bem Angwe, spoke on the state of human rights within the Nigerian Army.
The facilitator, Nigerian Military/ Human Rights Dialogue, Mr Olawole Fapohunda, said the aim of the seminar was to improve the human rights record of the Nigerian military.
The military said it was committed to tackling the challenge of compliance with the minimum human rights standard in the administration of military justice in Nigeria.
