Report has emerged alleging human rights abuses by Nigerian soldiers in Shiroro Local Government Area, Niger State.
Eyewitnesses claim that soldiers, in an operation reportedly targeting bandits, instead destroyed homes and brutalized civilians in Makera, Kudodo, and Sabon Gida villages. A wedding in Makera was disrupted, with attendees allegedly tortured and their belongings destroyed. Women and children were reportedly not spared, with the bride’s gifts and clothes set on fire.
Local leaders say the soldiers accused villagers of aiding bandits by paying ransoms instead of arming themselves for self-defense. More than 20 homes were reportedly torched in Sabon Gida, worsening an already dire food crisis in the region.
The Niger State government and military authorities have yet to respond to these allegations, which have drawn the attention of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC). The IHRC has vowed to investigate, while the International Criminal Court (ICC) continues its probe into alleged war crimes by Nigerian security forces.
