Nigerian Army rejects grounds for war crimes probe

Lagos (AFP) - Nigeria's military has rejected a call for senior army officers to be investigated for possible war crimes in the fight against Boko Haram Islamists.

Amnesty International named six serving or retired army officers whom it said should be probed to establish whether they were responsible for murder, torture and disappearances.

It alleged that more than 1,200 people had been extra-judicially killed and thousands more arbitrarily arrested during the bloody, eight-year conflict.

But the army's chief of civilian-military affairs, Major General Nuhu Angbazo, told reporters in Abuja on Wednesday there was "no evidence" against any of the named commanders.

Angbazo said the findings were contained in the report of a board of inquiry, comprising seven military officers and two lawyers, which was set up to look into the claims.

Their report has not been published in full.