Photo : DHQ spokesman
Maj-Gen Markus Kangye

By Barth Ikiebe

The Defence Headquarters has faulted a recent report by Amnesty International on the country’s insecurity challenges, describing it as lacking contextual depth.

The DHQ said the report failed to acknowledge the achievements of the Nigerian Armed Forces in combating insecurity across the country.

In a report released on Wednesday, Amnesty raised the alarm over what it describes as the Nigerian government’s failure to protect citizens from relentless attacks by armed groups and bandits.

The human rights organisation added that at least 10,217 people have been killed and 672 villages sacked in the past two years.

It noted that Benue State recorded the highest number of deaths, with 6,896 people killed, followed by Plateau State with 2,630 deaths.

However, the DHQ, in a rebuttal on Friday by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major Gen Markus Kangye, expressed concern over what it called “sweeping generalisations” and “unverified statistics” in Amnesty’s report.

Kangye said while it respected the role of civil society in promoting accountability, the Amnesty report disregarded the asymmetric nature of the threats facing the country and the complex socio-political context within which the Armed Forces operate.

He said, “While we acknowledge the importance of civil society in promoting accountability and human rights, we must express strong reservations about the sweeping generalisations, lack of contextual depth, and failure of the statement to recognise the monumental strides made by the Armed Forces of Nigeria under the current administration.

According to him, since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, the military has recorded several operational milestones.

Reacting to Amnesty’s claim that 2,630 people were killed and 167 communities displaced in Plateau State in the last two years, Kangye described the data as “a concoction of falsehood.”

He said the state witnessed improvements in security following a reorganisation of deployments and intensified operations since July 2023, adding that there were no mass displacements between 2023 and 2025, contrary to Amnesty’s assertion.

He also contested the claim that 6,896 people were killed in Benue State, describing it as humongous and misleading.

“Our records show 693 deaths in Benue during the review period, not 6,896. Furthermore, most of the alleged displacement figures are inconsistent with ground realities. Many IDP camps are now largely empty.

“In Zamfara alone, the military reported over 2,000 offensive operations in two years, leading to the rescue of 687 abductees, the neutralisation of over 1,500 terrorists, and the destruction of bandit enclaves.

“Contrary to claims, areas such as Bafarawa and Gebe in Sokoto are within reach of military Forward Operating Bases, and joint operations have cleared bandit strongholds,” he added.

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