'Officer in charge of torture' at Nigerian police stations

Torture is so routine in Nigeria that some police stations informally appoint an officer who is employed to carry it out according to a report by Amnesty International UK.

The leading human rights group claims 'a medieval witch hunt' for members of the radical Islamist group Boko Haram means torture is not a criminal offence in Nigeria and is regularly used by the authorities on men, women and children even as young as 12.

The report called 'Welcome to hell fire: Torture and other ill treatment in Nigeria'claims to show how people are often tortured using a wide range of methods as punishment, to extort money, or extract “confessions” as a shortcut to 'solving' cases.

Nigerian police officers are accused of using various forms of torture techniques, including ripping out fingernails or teeth with pliers, shooting victims in the hand or foot, choking detainees with a rope pulled by two police officers and pouring hot water onto open wounds according to the report.

Amnesty claims the Nigerian government is well aware of the severity of the problem and has created presidential committees and working groups aimed at reforming the criminal justice system and eradicating torture but the implementation of these recommendations has been painfully slow.