Although the Amnesty International report on the gross violations of human rights by the Nigerian military might look quite disdainful and largely one-sided type, nevertheless, we haven’t ruled out any traces of human rights abuses by the engaging soldiers in the northeast part of the country, and I think that is worth underpinning.

Every other engaging military apparatus in war-torn countries also does that as well, for instance in the Central African Republic, CAR where a large scale human rights abuses of the citizenry have been reported by the same Amnesty International, AI. The French-led troops in the landlocked country have done worst compare with the Nigerian military ever since their engagement against the rebel groups in that country, so I wondered why so many eyebrows on the Nigerian state.

Engagement of any military apparatus in warfront has never been abuse-free, though the level at which these abuses are being committed differs sharply, and it is always up to the various constituted federal governments of the engaging military apparatus to stage investigation with a view to determining the enormity of whatever abuses their men might have committed in the front line, especially against defenceless citizenry.

Thankfully well, the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari has already set up a transparent and neutral military panel to look into all the somewhat cruel allegations leveled against the Nigerian military in the region, which has become a safe haven where the Boko Haram insurgency flourishes.

Mr president’s decision was a drift from the hardline posture of the immediate past administration of president Goodluck Jonathan, who just paid a lip service of conducting investigation, and even vehemently refuted the Amnesty International claims as at one point in time.

We should await the outcome of the investigatory panel’s report set up by the presidency in bid to determine the scale of these atrocities allegedly committed by the engaging soldiers in the northeast region, that is, Adamawa, Yola and Borno states with the latter which happens to be the epic-centre of the insurgent group.

I’d love to urge the panel to carry out its saddled responsibility with utmost transparency, impartiality, commitment, undeterred integrity and patriotism so as to ultimately bring to justice all erring soldiers, and more importantly, to forestall future recurrences.