Nelson A.Osuala [ 13 May 2016] 01:13AM
The Amnesty International, AI, yesterday announced what I may consider as a troubling information.
Troubling because it seems to provoke a mixed feeling of sympathy for the victims involved and at the same time anger against our Government for failure to provide good medical and healthcare services to those concerned.
Without much ado, it is reported by Amnesty International that about 149 detainees, including children, have died in the Giwa Barracks of Maiduguri, Borno State, between January and April, where some Boko Haram suspects were detained.
laying credence to an information from a reliable source, AI (Amnesty International) reported on her website that the deaths could have been as a result of the inhuman conditions in the detention cells where these people are subjected.
This inhumane condition, the congestion in the holding cell, the outbreak of communicable diseases and malnutrition have resulted to the reckless deaths of children and young adults.
Laying credence to reports from Vanguard, which alleges that The Amnesty organization did however, admit that its report was based on unverified testimonies of some supposed eyewitnesses, who claimed to be former detainees in the barracks.
We can only wonder why the organization will choose to publish a story which according to them is a rumour, a grapevine and may be, a farce if not that it is indeed on the contrary, a fact!
An excerpt of the said argument informs that:
“Since January 2016 at least 149 people have died in the military detention facility at Giwa barracks, Maiduguri.
Their bodies were deposited at a mortuary in Maiduguri and then buried in the city’s cemetery”.
Continuing..
“This represents a significant increase in the rate of deaths in the barracks compared with the second half of 2015. Urgent action is needed to stop this trend and end the death of detainees in Giwa barracks”.
“Among the dead were at least 12 children and babies, including two girls of approximately two years and five years old, and the others, all boys, were aged five months, one year (four boys), two years, three years, four years, five years and one boy of approximately 15 years.”
This is a no doubt a wake up call to the Government to act and that right early so as to salvage the lives that are left to the careless abandonment of a life without hope and are deteriorating in general health condition in that God forsaken 'black hole' of a so called prison.
The world is watching the Government of Borno State in particular as posterity will not forgive them if they fail to come to the rescue of these people concerned.
Nelson A.Osuala is a Blogger & an Associate Editor in NegroidHaven.