The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has criticised a latest report by Amnesty Worldwide, describing it as deceptive, missing in context, and failing to recognise the numerous progress made by the Nigerian Armed Forces in combating insecurity throughout the nation.
This was contained in a press release issued on Friday by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Main Basic Markus Kangye.
In line with the assertion, the navy described the report as a concoction of falsehood.
They dismissed its statistics as sweeping generalisations and unverified.
“Whereas we acknowledge the significance of civil society in selling accountability and human rights, we should specific robust reservations in regards to the sweeping generalisations, lack of contextual depth, and the failure of the assertion to recognise the monumental strides made by the Armed Forces of Nigeria underneath the present administration,” Kangye said.
He argued that the report ignores the uneven nature of recent threats and the advanced socio-political setting during which the navy operates.
Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed workplace in Might 2023, the navy has achieved notable successes, together with the neutralisation of over 5,000 insurgents and bandits, restoration of greater than 350 communities, and the rescue of 1,200 kidnapped civilians, in keeping with Kangye.
“The sustained presence of troops in areas equivalent to Maru (Zamfara), Bokkos (Plateau), and Brand (Benue) has enabled displaced individuals to start returning dwelling underneath navy safety,” he mentioned.
He additional highlighted that over 2,000 offensive operations have been carried out in Zamfara State alone, resulting in the rescue of 687 abductees and the neutralisation of 1,500 terrorists.
Reacting particularly to Amnesty’s figures, Kangye mentioned the declare that 2,630 folks have been killed in Plateau State is fake, noting that there have been no mass displacements between 2023 and 2025.
He additional refuted the determine of 6,896 deaths in Benue, stating that navy data present solely 693 fatalities throughout the identical interval.
“Our data present 693 deaths in Benue throughout the assessment interval, not 6,896.
Moreover, a lot of the alleged displacement figures are inconsistent with floor realities. Many IDP camps are actually largely empty,” Kangye burdened.
He added that areas like Bafarawa and Gebe in Sokoto, which Amnesty claims are overrun by bandits, are inside attain of navy Ahead Working Bases, and common joint operations have cleared bandit strongholds within the area.
The DHQ urged Amnesty Worldwide to have interaction with native realities and confirm info earlier than publishing studies that might doubtlessly mislead the general public and undermine the morale of troops.
Recall that Amnesty in a latest report, accused the Nigerian authorities of failing to guard residents from relentless assaults by armed teams and bandits.
The worldwide organisation claimed that 10,217 folks have been killed and 672 villages sacked within the final two years, with Benue State alone recording 6,896 deaths, adopted by Plateau State with 2,630 deaths.