Military clears and releases 125 &#39;Boko Haram detainees&#39;

Maiduguri - The military on Saturday released 125 people it said were
arrested in an operation against Boko Haram but were later found to
not be part of the group.
The latest release came two days after 42 others were set free in
similar circumstances.

Throughout Boko Haram's five-year uprising, the security services
have been criticised for carrying out mass arrests and holding alleged
Islamist rebels indefinitely with little or no evidence.

Rights groups have pressured Nigeria to either charge in court or
release the suspected militants it has in custody.

Northeast army spokesman Sani Usman told journalists the 125
individuals were picked up on September 23 in the town of Biu in Borno
state, Boko Haram's stronghold.

A total of 254 people "were intercepted" in the military operation, and
"quite a number were confirmed to be hardcore members of the
terrorist group," he said.
"However, the 125 people in front of you today were found to have no
link whatsoever with" Boko Haram, Usman told journalists in Borno's
capital Maiduguri.

Among those released was Ibrahim Umar who said he was driving a
truck loaded with sheep on the outskirts of Biu when the military
pulled him over and detained him.

"I am sure my family would be shocked to see me alive because nobody
ever saw me since the day I was arrested," he said.
Borno's Governor Kashim Shettima said the decision to release those
found to be innocent "bolstered" the "image of the army."

Speaking following the release of the 42 people on Thursday, Shettima
said that group would receive 100,000 naira ($600, 480 euros) "to
enable them to start a new life."
He also directed state officials to help them find jobs.

It was not clear if the 125 detainees released Saturday would be
given the same benefits.
The military's release of apparently innocent civilians caught up in
operations against Boko Haram may be welcomed by rights groups who
have condemned indiscriminate detentions.
But Nigeria's security services were again this week accused of major
abuses.

Sixteen people in the northeast town of Potiskum were dropped at a
morgue with bullet holes in their bodies after having been arrested by
soldiers

Local leaders called for an immediate investigation and some described
the deaths as "cold-blooded murder."

Meanwhile, Boko Haram attacks have continued at a relentless pace,
despite disputed government claims that ceasefire talks are ongoing
with insurgent leaders.
The uprising is estimated to have cost more than 10 000 lives.

- AFP