Nigeria Military Releases 125 ‘Boko Haram Detainees’

Nigeria’s 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 Islamist group. The latest release came two days after 42 others were set free in similar circumstances. Throughout Boko Haram’s five-year uprising, Nigeria’s 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 on Sunday were found to have no link whatsoever with’ Boko Haram, Usman told journalists in Borno’s capital Maiduguri.