General Kangye has firmly dismissed claims that the Nigerian military was involved in alleged extrajudicial killings in the Southeast region.
The Military High Command on Thursday, responded to Amnesty International over its latest report alleging extrajudicial killings by troops in the Southeast, insisting that the Armed Forces of Nigeria are not involved in extrajudicial killings of citizens in any part of the country.
The military also distanced itself from a circulating report that a notorious bandit kingpin in North-west, Bello Turji surrendered part of the arms in his armoury and released some hostages as part of negotiated terms brokered by a group of Islamic clerics, aimed at enabling farming communities in Zamfara State to return to their farms.
Fielding questions from reporters during his biweekly briefing on troops’ activities across all theatres of operation, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, said troops are still on the trail of the bandit leader.
According to him, “Bello Turji has not surrendered. We are still on the trail of the bandit leader.”
Meanwhile, Amnesty International, in its latest report titled “A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in Southeast Nigeria”, stated that during military operations in the South-East, Nigerian security agencies — including the military and police — committed unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, enforced disappearances, and destruction of property.
The report which was released on Wednesday, 13 August 2025, claimed that despite the scale of the atrocities against the people, justice and adequate reparations have eluded the victims of the violence.
Country Director of Amnesty International, Isa Sanusi, said: “No one knows exactly the number of people killed in the Southeast since August 2015. Many people have been declared missing or forcibly disappeared.
The number of high-profile killings and the consistent fear of possible attacks — anywhere and at any time — show how badly the authorities are failing to protect lives and property and ensure law and order. Impunity for these human rights crimes continues to have a chilling effect on the enjoyment of other human rights.”
But in a swift reaction on Thursday, General Kangye said: “The military is not involved in any extrajudicial killings in the Southeast. The Armed Forces cannot deploy troops to protect citizens, and then you turn around and say there are extrajudicial killings.
“What do you mean by extrajudicial killings? Do soldiers in the Southeast take their guns to the streets and start shooting people? Even you who asked the question know what Amnesty International is doing. You know what they stand for, and you know what they usually publish about the Nigerian military.
“Like I always say, everyone with an Android phone in their hand is now a potential source of information to the whole world, not just to those of us sitting here. As you sit there, you can send information to any part of the world.
“You enjoy the freedom to disseminate information, but I can tell you that the military is not engaged in extrajudicial killings in any part of the country.”
Earlier in his briefing, General Kangye revealed that troops have continued to demonstrate courage, resilience, and increased determination to dismantle terrorist networks, defeat banditry, and combat all other forms of crime and criminality across all theatres of operation.
“They have carried out several offensive operations, ranging from raids, ambushes, and fighting patrols to other covert missions, all with resounding success.
“The air component has also conducted several air support, aerial reconnaissance, and air interdiction missions, during which numerous Boko Haram, as well as JAS and ISWAP terrorists, were eliminated and their camps destroyed.”
He stressed that troops of the Joint Task Force South-South, Operation Delta Safe, while conducting offensive operations, arrested 29 suspected oil thieves, cultists, kidnappers, and other criminals in Emohua, Eleme, Ahoada, and ONELGA LGAs of Rivers State, as well as Patani, Isoko North, Yenagoa, and Ekeremor LGAs of Delta and Bayelsa States, respectively.
