Nema's investigation is a response to a report published by Nigeria's Calabar-based International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR). The report, written by freelance journalist, Charles Dickson, alleges that hundreds of young girls have been trafficked from internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.
Many victims were from unregistered, makeshift camps established when official camps could no longer cope, the report says. It quotes an unnamed nurse as saying many children were brought to her hospital after being raped in the IDP camps.
It also alleges refugees are being sold as unpaid domestic workers, raped repeatedly, and in some cases burned and wounded with knives.
A spokesperson for Nema told the BBC that the allegations were "very grievous". BBC Nigeria analyst Jimeh Saleh says Nema's decision to launch the investigation is significant as the allegations are extremely serious.
Many people do not report rape in Nigeria, and have little confidence in the police to investigate cases, he says. They will be hoping that Nema's investigation will be credible, and help break the culture of silence around rape, our reporter adds. Nema has given the investigators two weeks to compile their report.
Source: BBC Africa
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