The Federal Government on Thursday admonished Amnesty International (AI) to stop providing succour to terrorists with its “growing practice of constantly attacking the Nigeria military and casting them as the bad guys”.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the admonition on Thursday in Abuja while briefing the media on topical national issues.
Mohammed was reacting to AI accusation that the military burnt some villages in the North East and forcefully displaced the residents.
“In carrying out their duties, Amnesty International should not cast themselves in the league of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists.
“They should stop the growing practice of constantly attacking the military and casting them as the bad guys when all they are doing is putting their lives on the line to fight
terrorists who have no respect for the sanctity of life.
“The terrorists who willfully go after women and children, who attack houses of worship without respect or allegiance to any religion.
“Amnesty International should stop providing succour for terrorists by attributing their atrocities to our troops.
“Our soldiers, who are defending the country, are guided by extant rules of engagement and operational codes of conduct.
“They should not be made to look like the aggressors here,” he said.
The minister reiterated the Defence Headquarters’s earlier response denying the accusation.
He said the federal government has always taken seriously any allegation of a rights violation by soldiers or other security forces.
He said the government has been carrying out investigations and ensuring that culprits, if any, were punished.