Nigeria's military had advance warning of an attack on the town where some 270 girls were kidnapped but failed to act, Amnesty International says. The human rights group says it was told by credible sources that the military had more than four hours' warning of the raid by Boko Haram militants.
Fifty-three of the girls escaped soon after being seized in Chibok on 14 April but more than 200 remain captive. Nigeria's authorities say they "doubt the veracity" of the Amnesty report.
"If the government was aware beforehand there would have been an intervention against the militants," Nigerian Information Minister Labaran Maku told BBC World TV.
However, he said the authorities would still investigate the claims.
Amnesty says it was told by several people that the military in Maiduguri, capital of the north-eastern Borno state, was informed of the impending attack on Chibok town soon after 19:00 local time.
It says that a local official was contacted by herdsmen who said that armed men had asked them where the Government Girls' Secondary School was located in the town.
Despite the warning, reinforcements were not sent to help protect the town in the remote area, which was attacked at around midnight, Amnesty says. A bbc.co.uk report.
Comments
Post a Comment