ABUJA: Nigeria’s military said on Friday it was investigating allegations by Amnesty International that more than 8,000 people had died in detention during a crackdown on militant group Boko Haram, weeks after dismissing the report.

The army initially rejected the allegations of prisoners being executed and mistreated, published earlier this month, as “biased and concocted.”

But international pressure has been mounting on Nigeria to examine its tactics, and soon after the report’s release, recently-elected President Muhammadu Buhari promised his office would study it and “act accordingly.”

The armed forces called a press conference on Friday to say investigations had started.

“The military has a constitutional and moral responsibility to protect Nigerian citizens and cannot suddenly engage in mass murder as portrayed by Amnesty International allegations,” said Major General Adamu Baba Abubakar.