The Amnesty International has revealed that at least 149 people, including children and babies, died between January and May 2016 under appalling conditions at the detention facility in Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri, Borno State.
The global human rights organisation disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, detailing the scale of deaths and the deplorable conditions endured by detainees at the military facility in northeastern Nigeria.
According to Amnesty International, at least 12 children died at the barracks within one month, while 65 people died there in March 2016 alone.
The organisation said the likely causes of the deaths included disease, hunger, dehydration, severe overcrowding and gunshot wounds.
The report highlights the dire conditions faced by detainees at Giwa Barracks, a military detention facility in Maiduguri that has previously been the subject of concerns over the treatment and welfare of people held there.
Amnesty International said the deaths occurred amid conditions that were severely inadequate for the number of people detained at the facility.
The organisation’s account particularly raises concerns over the deaths of children and babies in military custody, as well as the high number of fatalities recorded within a single month.
The 65 deaths recorded in March 2016 represented a significant proportion of the total 149 deaths documented by Amnesty International between January and May that year.
The human rights organisation said the combination of disease, lack of adequate food and water, overcrowding and injuries contributed to the deaths of detainees.
