Army releases 249 people illegally detained as Boko Haram terrorists

The Nigerian Army on Sunday released
249 detainees arrested at different
times on suspicion that they were
members of the extremist Boko Haram
sect.
The detainees, including 34 children
and 46 women, were handed over to
the Borno State government at a brief
ceremony in Maiduguri, the Borno
State capital, with the army saying they
had been found innocent of the crimes
for which they were held.
But there was no apology or
compensation from the military or the
Nigerian government to the detained
persons for the pains and trauma they
suffered during their incarceration.
The only compensation the suspects
got was N3,000 each, which was
handed them by officials of the Borno
State government to transport
themselves back to their homes.
Nigerian security agencies regularly
engage in mass arrests of suspects,
labelling them Boko Haram terrorists,
and then detaining them for months,
and even years.
But, in what is clearly a violation of
Nigerian laws, no formal apology or
compensation is ever given by the
Nigerian state or its military to those
so illegally detained.
About eight months ago, 182 such
suspects were released (40 boys, 24
women, 100 adults and 18 children).
In February 2016, another set of 275
persons, including underaged children,
were set free after prolonged
detention. They comprised 142 males
and 49 females.