BREAKING: 8,000 dead at the hands of Nigeria's military

Starved, suffocated, tortured and executed: 8,000 dead in Nigeria

Dear Tracy, In Nigeria, thousands of young men and boys are being arbitrarily arrested and deliberately killed or left to die in detention — in the most horrific conditions. Amnesty International investigators just released evidence that more than 8,000 people have died at the hands of the Nigerian military since 2011. After years of research and analysis of evidence, we found that these thousands of people were starved, suffocated, tortured to death or executed while in government custody. Take action on this horrifying new information. Call on the newly-elected President Buhari of Nigeria to launch an impartial and immediate investigation into these crimes. Following interviews with more than 400 survivors, eyewitnesses and senior members of Nigeria security forces, Amnesty has documented a range of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity committed by the Nigerian military in the course of the armed conflict with Boko Haram. Our report, Stars on their shoulders. Blood on their hands: War crimes committed by the Nigerian military, reveals that more than 7,000 young men and boys — some as young as nine years old — died in military detention, and more than 1,200 people were unlawfully killed since March 2011. One former detainee told Amnesty International: "All I know was that once you get detained by the soldiers and taken to Giwa [military barracks], your life is finished." Stand with us in demanding that the Nigerian government is held accountable for these atrocities. The Nigerian military has arrested at least 20,000 young men and boys since 2009. Detainees are held incommunicado in extremely overcrowded, unventilated cells without sanitary facilities and with little food or water. Many are subjected to torture, and thousands have died from ill-treatment and dire detention conditions. On May 29, Nigeria inaugurated a new president, General Muhammadu Buhari, who has promised to rebuild a professional military and restore respect for human rights. The international community must hold President Buhari to his promises and help him act decisively to end the pervasive culture of impunity within Nigeria's armed forces and outlaw torture. Nigeria's military has blood on its hands. Claims of unlawful killings, torture and enforced disappearance must be investigated immediately. The people of Nigeria deserve no less. In solidarity, Adotei Akwei Managing Director of Government Relations Amnesty International USA