Amnesty International has exposed the grim conditions at Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, Borno State, revealing that at least 149 people, including children and babies, died in military custody between January and May 2016.
The global human rights organisation made the disclosure in a statement issued on Saturday, detailing the scale of deaths recorded at the military detention facility and the deplorable conditions reportedly endured by detainees.
According to Amnesty International, at least 12 children died at the barracks within one month, while 65 people died in March 2016 alone.
The organisation said the deaths were likely associated with a combination of disease, hunger, dehydration, severe overcrowding and gunshot wounds.
The revelations have renewed attention on the conditions at Giwa Barracks, a military detention facility in Maiduguri that has previously come under scrutiny over the treatment and welfare of people held there during Nigeria’s counter-insurgency operations.
Amnesty International said the fatalities occurred against a backdrop of conditions that were severely inadequate for the number of detainees being held at the facility.
The organisation’s account raises particular concern over the deaths of children and babies while in military custody, given their vulnerability to hunger, dehydration, disease and inadequate access to medical care.
The 65 deaths recorded in March represented a significant proportion of the 149 fatalities documented by Amnesty International during the five-month period.
The human rights organisation attributed the deaths to several factors, including illness, inadequate food and water, extreme overcrowding and injuries caused by gunfire.
The reported conditions suggest that detainees were exposed to multiple and overlapping risks, with inadequate nutrition, dehydration and disease compounded by overcrowding within the detention facility.
The deaths of 12 children in a single month further underline the severity of the conditions described by Amnesty International and raise questions about the safeguards available for children and other vulnerable people held in military detention.
Giwa Barracks became a major detention facility during the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in northeastern Nigeria, with large numbers of people reportedly detained in connection with military operations.
Amnesty International’s disclosure places the 149 deaths within a broader record of concerns about detention practices and the treatment of suspected insurgents and other people held in military custody.
The organisation’s findings also highlight the importance of adequate food, clean water, medical attention and humane conditions for detainees, regardless of the allegations or circumstances that led to their detention.
With 65 deaths reportedly occurring in March alone, the figures indicate the scale of the crisis within the facility during the period under review.
Amnesty International said the combination of disease, hunger, dehydration, overcrowding and gunshot wounds likely contributed to the deaths, presenting a disturbing account of conditions inside the Maiduguri detention centre.
The revelations remain one of the stark accounts of the humanitarian consequences associated with detention during the conflict in northeastern Nigeria, particularly given the reported deaths of children and babies.
The Amnesty International account has consequently drawn attention to the responsibility of authorities to protect the lives and welfare of people held in custody and to ensure that detention facilities meet basic standards of humane treatment.