Members of investigative panel at UMTH
The Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter-Insurgency Operations in North East Nigeria (SIIP-North East) has resumed sitting in Maiduguri with a fact-finding visit to University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
The panel was constituted by the Federal Government through the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate the allegations of human rights violations contained in Reuters reports on military operations in North East.
Speaking during the visit to UMTH, the Chairman of the panel, Justice Abdu Aboki (rtd) said it has become necessary for the panel to visit the medical facility for further investigations into the alleged human rights violations mentioned in the Reuters report.
Aboki said the medical facility was not categorically mentioned in the Reuters 4- part reports, but it became expedient to conduct an investigation in the facility, being a Referral Centre where most of the secondary healthcare cases were being referred.
The Secretary of the panel, Mr Hilary Ogbonna said that the panel held its inaugural sitting on the 7th of February 2023 and had conducted similar investigations at military and civilian facilities in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
Ogbonna said the panel comprised of experts who specialized in different fields relevant to the subject of the investigation that would interact with the Chief Medical Director (CMD) and Heads of relevant departments to obtain important information that may be needed to ascertain the truth in the Reuter’s report.
In his response, the CMD of the hospital, Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, expressed his readiness with his team to cooperate with the panel during the investigations.
The panel heard testimonies from 8 witnesses at its resumed sitting in Borno state.
