Boko Haram Could Be War Criminals, UN Condemns Bloody Attacks

The United Nations human rights office has classified Boko Haram sect as war criminals while condemning its bloody attack on a wedding convoy in Borno State. Boko Haram gunmen were blamed for Saturday's slaying of more than 30 people, including the groom, when the sect attacked a wedding convoy on a road near the border with Cameroon. The spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Cecile Pouilly said,"Members of Boko Haram and other groups and entities, if judged to have committed widespread or systematic attacks against a civilian population … (could be) guilty of crimes against humanity." Cecile condemned boko haram's campaign of cowardly attacks against innocent citizens, politicians, foreigners and a host of others. Besides condemning the sect, she also lambasted government troops who have killed civilians and committed other atrocities in the battle zone. According to her,"We are also following up closely with the Nigerian authorities allegations of abuses and human rights violations which may have been committed by security forces when conducting operations,"adding that the Nigerian military was in the process of finalising a report on people detained in connection with the insurgency, and urged the government to disclose its findings. "We also call on the Nigerian government to ensure that security forces act in conformity with the law and avoid excessive use of force when conducting operations,"she said.Thousands of lives have been lost to the Islamist sect attack over the years in different parts of the country.