The Defence Headquarters has said the Nigerian military has no authority to grant amnesty to bandits or terrorists, following reports that some surrendering commanders in Katsina State were allegedly offered clemency in exchange for releasing hostages.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, July 3, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen Markus Kangye, clarified the limits of the military’s role.
“Amnesty is not what we do. We are to do our job according to our rules of engagement, according to our operational directives.
“And if, from the operation conducted, people are arrested and handed over, and an amnesty is to be given to them, it’s not the military that determines that,” he said.
“Their cases will be studied and, based on that merit, the agencies of government responsible for giving amnesty will do that.
“It is not for the military to determine whether to give amnesty or not. That is not part of our operation,” Kangye added.
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His comments come amid increased military operations across troubled regions and rising public concern over how surrendering militants are treated.
Also at the briefing, the Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen Tukur Gusau, responded to growing criticism over the continued detention of community leaders allegedly linked to the March 14 ambush in Okuama, Delta State, which claimed the lives of four officers and 13 soldiers.
Gusau said the military had not received any official court order directing the release of the detainees.
“The DHQ has not received any court injunction in respect of that,” he said. “If we get it, we have our legal team, which will advise us on the next step to take. But for now, we don’t have such a court injunction served to us.”
On whether families and community members had made requests to visit the detained individuals, Gusau said no formal application had reached the Defence Headquarters.
“There was no request forwarded to the Defence Headquarters on that,” he said. “Maybe, perhaps the request is only on the pages of newspapers. There is a procedure for everything. If they follow the procedure, we will respond appropriately,” he added.