Nigeria Announces Probe Into State-Sponsored Killings

Nigeria on Wednesday said it would open a probe into claims of state-sponsored killings dating back to the era of military rule, raising hopes that perpetrators will finally be brought to book. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said a public inquiry would be held into complaints it had received "bordering on allegations of state-sponsored killings or assassinations".

The formal announcement comes after the military ruler turned civilian head of state Olusegun Obasanjo accused President Goodluck Jonathan of training a private army to carry out political "hits". Jonathan denied the charge, which was made last December in an 18-page open letter criticising his administration, but ordered an investigation. Claims will have to be submitted for consideration within three weeks and hearings would be held on a date to be fixed, the NHRC said.

The organisation's chairman, Chidi Odinkalu, said the inquiry was not a witch-hunt but was designed to deliver justice for those affected by alleged abuses. "Let's get the issue straight. The investigation is not about individuals. This is a story of victims that don't have remedies," he told AFP.

 "It's about institutions that may have committed rights abuses."

Both groups said they had documented a number of cases of extra-judicial and politically motivated killings over the years, particularly around the time of elections. "We hope that the National Human Rights Commission will be given unhindered support to carry out its investigation adequately and independently," said Amnesty's West Africa researcher Makmid Kamara.

"We trust that the people who are in charge will be given the scope to execute their functions," he added in a phone interview from London. But both Amnesty and HRW said they hoped that any eventual recommendations would lead to concrete action, unlike previous, similar investigations that have led nowhere.