Amnesty International: Nigerian military responsible for 7,000 deaths

LONDON, June 3 (UPI) -- Over 7,000 people have died while in custody of the Nigerian military as it fights the militant group Boko Haram, Amnesty International said Wednesday.

The London-based human rights organization names senior officers it suspects were complicit in the deaths, typically by murder, torture or forced disappearance, and claims victims were deliberately starved to death. The report adds over 20,000 people, generally men and boys as young as nine, were arrested in sweeping investigations by Nigerian police and military authorities seeking members of Boko Haram. The suspects were taken without investigation or evidence against them.

The report calls for Nigeria's new president, Muhammadu Buhari, to end the latitude given to Nigerian security forces as they attempt to contain Boko Haram in northwestern Nigeria. Buhari was in neighboring Niger Wednesday to discuss regional operations against the hardline Islamist group.

The Nigerian military rejected Amnesty International's contentions, calling them biased and referring to the statistics presented as "spurious."

The report "went out to gather names of specified senior officers in a calculated attempt to rubbish their reputations," military spokesman Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade said.