The most prominent armed group in Nigeria's volatile oil-rich Niger Delta, MEND, Wednesday accused the military of carrying out extra-judicial executions of 22 captured insurgents in the region.
"The Joint Task Force of the military today carried out summary executions of all the cultists captured yesterday in Port Harcourt," the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) said in an e-mail to the media.
"Twenty-two ...were executed by the military, MEND said, responding to enquiries by AFP.
"Regardless of the perceived offences of the men, it is not for the military but for the law courts to decide on the penalty for each of the individuals. This action again demonstrates the indiscipline and frustration of the Nigerian military," it added.
The rebels were captured Tuesday during a gunbattle with the military in Nigeria's oil hub Port Harcourt in which at least two gang members died, military and industry sources said.
The military authorities were not available to comment on MEND's accusations Wednesday.
The Nigerian military stages periodic crackdowns on armed groups in the Niger Delta, where attacks by so-called militant groups have reduced Nigeria's oil output by more than one quarter.
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