Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Defence Headquarters has firmly denied any involvement in the management of a camp in Kwara State where Amnesty International alleges that at least 150 people, most of them children, have died under inhumane conditions since January. In a report published on Thursday, the global human rights organisation called on Nigerian authorities to launch an urgent, independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of displaced Fulani pastoralists held at the National Youth Service Corps orientation camp in Yikpata. But the military dismissed the allegations as baseless, insisting that the facility is not under its control.
According to Amnesty International, about 1,500 Fulani men, women and children were forcibly relocated to the camp after being displaced by escalating attacks from armed groups across Asa, Edu, Ifelodun and Patigi local government areas. Rather than finding safety, the organisation said, the detainees were subjected to overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, severe restrictions on their movement, acute malnutrition and rampant disease. “At the camp, we did not have enough food, sometimes only beans in the evening, and even that was not guaranteed,” a woman held at the facility told Amnesty researchers. “Starvation claimed the lives of many children and pregnant women. My twin daughters, Hauwa’u and Hajja, died there.” Survivors also described how detainees had to contribute money to purchase burial shrouds because of the rising number of deaths. “We buried three corpses in a single grave,” one said. A 43‑year‑old man who escaped the camp told Amnesty that a total of 154 people had died from hunger and disease since their arrival. “On the day I escaped, six children died,” he said.
The organisation’s findings were based on a field investigation conducted between 5 and 11 April, during which researchers visited the camp and surrounding communities, interviewed about 60 people in affected areas and spoke directly with 30 detainees, survivors and family members. Images obtained from the facility showed severely malnourished children with visible ribs and extreme weakness, Amnesty said. The organisation also warned that at least 100 pregnant women at the camp were at risk of life‑threatening complications due to a lack of adequate maternal care.
Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International Nigeria, condemned the mass detention as a violation of the country’s constitution and international human rights obligations. “Members of the Fulani community face persecution on two fronts, from armed groups and the military,” he said. “Instead of receiving protection, they are being denied their rights to personal liberty, livelihood, movement, education and healthcare.” The organisation also alleged that the detention amounted to discriminatory profiling, with Fulani individuals singled out, unlawfully detained and in some cases forced to pay bribes to secure their release.
But the Defence Headquarters rejected the allegations outright. Major General Michael Onoja, Director of Defence Media Operations, told reporters that the military has no connection to the facility. “The so‑called military detention facility is not under the purview of the military. The military has no business whatsoever with that location,” he said. “You may wish to channel your enquiries to the appropriate government agency for clarification.” He also dismissed the reported death toll, stating that there was no verifiable evidence to support such claims. “Nothing like this has happened,” he added.
The Kwara State Government also distanced itself from the camp, stating that it had no knowledge of any military‑run detention centre on its territory. The state has, however, witnessed a sharp rise in violent attacks in recent months, with Islamist militants and armed gangs pushing southward into previously tranquil areas. In February, a Boko Haram assault on the villages of Woro and Nuku in Kwara killed at least 162 people, one of the worst attacks in recent years.
Amnesty International has urged the federal government to conduct a prompt, thorough, independent, impartial, transparent and effective investigation into the reported deaths. It also called for an immediate end to the arbitrary detention of the remaining 1,500 pastoralists and for the government to provide justice and remedies for victims and their families. “The existence of the camp puts detainees outside the protection of the law in flagrant violation of the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s international human rights obligations,” Sanusi said. As of Friday, the government had not issued an official response to the organisation’s demands beyond the military’s denial.
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