Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has said that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is established by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and therefore guided by law in all its affairs.

He stated this in his remarks at the Nigerian Bar Association’s Workshop on ‘Human Rights in Times of Conflict’, in Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri, Borno State, on Monday.

Gen. Buratai declared that the Nigerian Army respects and protects human rights even in the fight against terrorism and insurgency, adding that it takes human rights issues very seriously and trains its personnel both locally and abroad on the issue.

The COAS further stated that the Nigerian Army has also partnered the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which visits Nigerian Army detention facilities on regular basis. He also said that the Armed Forces of Nigeria have recognised the importance and respects the Rule of Law, saying that there is no safe haven for human rights violators in today’s Nigerian Army.

Gen. Buratai disclosed that the Nigerian Bar Association and the Nigerian Army have jointly inaugurated a human rights monitoring team as part of measures to improve human rights protection and abuse by security personnel.

Speaking at the workshop, NBA President, Augustine Alegbe, lauded the military’s counter-insurgency efforts in the country’s North-East.