CH4 Dispatches - Nigeria's Hidden War (2014)
Nigeria's Hidden War
The kidnap of almost 300 schoolgirls by Nigeria's hardline Islamist fighters Boko Haram in April 2014 caused international outrage. It sparked a global campaign demanding their return and pledges of increased military support to Nigeria from the UK, the US and other nations. But, three months later, as the girls languish in guerrilla camps with no sign of rescue, Channel 4's Dispatches reveals the other side of Nigeria's war on Islamist terror: a campaign by Nigeria's security forces against civilians that's so violent it could constitute war crimes. For a year, Dispatches has been gathering dozens of videos, many of which show the arbitrary arrest, torture and summary execution of civilians and unarmed Boko Haram suspects by Nigerian soldiers and their civilian militia counterparts. In one of the most shocking clips, a group of men described by witnesses as Nigerian soldiers and militiamen cut the throats of several young men in what appears to be revenge for the beheading of soldiers by Boko Haram. Other videos show the arrest, beating and torture of suspects before they are taken into military custody, where human rights investigators say hundreds, or possibly thousands, of innocent men have died from starvation, suffocation, disease and execution. Through the videos, eyewitness testimony and the first-hand accounts of militia insiders, Dispatches can reveal a hidden war, which we are told is undermining the government's campaign against Boko Haram and may be strengthening the insurgency's ability to escalate its murderous campaign against the state and civilians.
Full Version Available Upon Request