Boko Haram: Soldiers, policemen arrested for raping displaced women

- The investigations into sexual abuses in IDP camps has led to many arrests including those of soldiers and police says the Nigeria police force

- Police IG Ibrahim Idris says those discovered to have committed the offense after investigations would be approipriately dealth with

The Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris has said that the force has made multiple arrests in the issue of abuse of women and girls in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

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News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that two policemen, three army personnel, one prison official, one Air Force personnel, a staff of Borno Ministry for Agriculture and two members of the Civilian JTF have been arrested for sexually abusing women and girls displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Speaking at the Inspector-General of Police Conference in Abuja on Tuesday, December 6, Idris said police would liaise with the Army and Air Force to make their personnel available for a thorough investigation.

Idris said those found guilty of the offence after the necessary investigation would be dismissed and taken to court for prosecution.

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“We are going to conduct a thorough investigation and if anyone is found guilty we will dismiss him then take him to court,” he said.

The police’s investigations followed an order by President Muhammadu Buhari after a report published by Human Rights Watch in October accused government officials of abuse and rape of women living in IDP camps in Borno state.

Police set up a special panel to investigate the alleged abuses and this led to the arrests.