According to Amnesty International: "Mahmood, aged 15, described a similar experience. He told Amnesty International that he was among a group of 50 people – mainly children and young boys between 13 and 19 years of age – who were arrested in March 2013 by the army in Potiskum and taken to Damaturu. Mahmood said he was detained for three weeks at Sector Alpha and tortured. He told Amnesty International that he was beaten continuously with gun butts, batons and machetes and that soldiers poured melting plastic on his back, made him walk and roll over broken bottles and poured cold water on him. He was also forced to watch other detainees being extrajudicially executed. Mahmood was not charged with any offence and said that he was denied all contact with the outside world, including his family and any lawyers. Along with 31 other detainees, Mahmood was eventually released in April 2013. When Mahmood arrived home, he was in desperate need of emergency medical treatment and was psychologically traumatized." ^[+]