Nigerian Security Forces Murder Unarmed Civilians

An international news channel is showing chilling footage of men inuniforms shooting unarmed men after they purportedly were arrestedduring clashes last year with Muslim militants in northern Nigeria.

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The footage aired Tuesday on Al-Jazeera shows two uniformed menforcing seven young men to lie face-down at the side of a busy road.The uniformed men then fire into the men’s backs. The footage could notbe authenticated by The Associated Press.

Boko Haram sect militants sparked violence in late July, unleashinga bloodbath in which 700 people died. Rights groups claimed authoritiescommitted extrajudicial killings.

Borno state Police Commissioner Ibrahim Abdu says the TV images arefalse and “a deliberate attempt of the surviving sect members to causeconfusion and threats.”

2010-02-09