Nigerian military authorities running Operation Hadin Kai are facing renewed calls to immediately charge or release civilians who have spent months, and in some cases years, in detention without trial at the Joint Investigation Centre (JIC) inside Giwa Barracks.
Amnesty International says its investigations have uncovered a persistent pattern of arbitrary arrests, extortion, and prolonged detention without access to courts or lawyers, in breach of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and international human rights and humanitarian law obligations. According to the findings, ordinary residents across Borno State are being picked up and held indefinitely, often with no formal charges and no access to legal counsel.
Among those named is Mohammed Kontoma, a roadside petrol seller from Konduga Local Government Area, who was arrested in Maiduguri while carrying 25 litres of fuel in gallons. He has been held at Giwa Barracks since August 2025 without ever facing trial. Aisami Abatcha, a pick-up driver from Gubio LGA, was arrested on 13 April 2026 along the Dunga-Gubio road after reportedly refusing to pay a bribe demanded by Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) officers at a checkpoint. He was subsequently handed over to military custody.
On the same day, Abubakar Isa Izge, a charcoal seller from Gwoza LGA, was arrested in Gidan Dambe, allegedly by officers of the Department of State Services, and transferred to Giwa Barracks. His family says 700,000 naira went missing during the arrest. Umar Usman, a fisherman from Baga Town in Kukawa LGA, has been detained since 2024 — arrested, according to the account, simply for using a small solar panel to charge mobile phones. He has now spent two years in custody without formal charges or contact with his family.
Abor Modu, from Jere LGA, was reportedly detained after he reported CJTF members for extortion and threats of abduction, and was subsequently falsely implicated in a criminal matter. Kyari Modu Kukawa was arrested from his vehicle along the road in Damasak, Mobbar LGA, in October 2025 and taken to Giwa Barracks, where he remains without trial, legal representation, or family access.
Calls for accountability and checkpoint reform
Beyond the demand for the release or prosecution of detainees, authorities are being urged to investigate and end the alleged extortion and arbitrary arrests carried out by CJTF personnel at checkpoints, and to guarantee all detainees full access to lawyers and relatives.
Rights advocates note that under the right to liberty, no individual should be arrested absent reasonable suspicion of a recognisable criminal offence. They further point to the right to a fair trial, which guarantees prompt presentation before a judge, access to legal counsel, freedom from torture and ill-treatment, and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
