SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian Army has built a two hundred capacity detention centre at the Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, to house suspected Boko Haram insurgents who are being profiled either for prosecution or reintegration.
The facility which was constructed by the army’s 47 Engineer Brigade, has two wings. Each of the wings consists of two centres, equipped with heat and odour extractors as toilets with borehole for constant water supply.
According to the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Rogers Nicholas, who inaugurated the centre, detainees will be moved from where they are currently being held to the new building.
The new detention centre comes after repeated criticism of the Nigerian Army by Amnesty International (AI) and other human rights group, for allegedly holding suspects in poor facilities and treating them poorly.
Major General Nicholas, who said the Army welcomes constructive criticism, admitted that previous detention centres were not in the best shape.
“To the Chief of Army Staff and some of us, it was not up to the standard of where we should keep them (the detainees),” he said.
“So, what the Chief of Army Staff has done is to upgrade the standard to international best standard.”
The Theatre Commander called on insurgents still fighting federal authorities to embrace the Safe Corridor window of reconciliation and surrender.
