Nigeria: Amnesty calls for investigation into military-run camp

Amnesty International has urged authorities in Nigeria to investigate the reported deaths of 150 members of the Fulani community at a camp in Kwara State, raising concerns over conditions in facilities linked to security operations, according to Africa News via AFP on May 1st.

In a report released on April 30th, Amnesty said the victims, many of them children, were among 1,500 Fulani civilians held for months at a site in Yikpata, in north-central Nigeria. The organisation described the detentions as arbitrary, noting that those affected had fled escalating violence before being transferred to the camp.

According to Amnesty, conditions at the facility were severely inadequate. Detainees faced overcrowding, poor sanitation, restricted movement and limited access to food and healthcare. The group said acute malnutrition and disease were widespread, with starvation cited as a contributing factor in multiple deaths.

The report also highlighted risks facing vulnerable groups, with at least 100 pregnant women said to be exposed to life-threatening complications.

Military officials seem to have issued conflicting accounts regarding responsibility for the site. Major General Michael Onoja, director of Defence Media Operations, denied that the facility falls under military control. However, Brig. Gen. Samaila Uba told The New York Times that the armed forces are reviewing conditions at the camp, suggesting a degree of institutional involvement.

Amnesty researchers visited Yikpata in early April and interviewed 30 individuals. Some said they were displaced in January 2026 after authorities ordered evacuations of their villages to facilitate military clearance operations.

Isa Sanusi said the Fulani population in the area faces “persecution on two fronts”, citing armed groups as well as actions linked to security forces.

The organisation argued that the detentions violate Nigeria’s constitutional protections and international human rights obligations.

The situation unfolds against a backdrop of rising insecurity in parts of Kwara State, where rural communities have experienced increased attacks, some attributed to jihadist groups. In February, at least 162 people were killed in the village of Woro, underscoring the scale of the violence affecting the region.

The case of Yikpata highlights broader challenges facing Nigeria’s security response, particularly in balancing counterinsurgency operations with the protection of civilian populations.

Africa News via AFP, The New York Times, Maghrebi.org