AMNESTY International (AI) has said at least 24 protesters were killed and over 1,200 others, including minors, were detained during the #Endbadgovernance protest that took place in August in Nigeria.
Months after the protests, AI in a statement released on Thursday, November 28, also accused the police authorities of using “excessive force” against demonstrators during the protest.
The organisation said the police used extreme force against protesters nationwide during the protest leading to fatalities in states namely Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa and Niger.
“Those killed included 20 young people, an older person and two children.”
The AI said in all cases, the victims were shot by the police, firing live ammunition at close range, often at the head or torso, suggesting that officers were shooting to kill.
It added that two survivors suffered injuries after being shot by police in the arm and legs; others were suffocated by the indiscriminate use of tear gas.
“People in Nigeria witnessed unbelievable lawlessness as security personnel fired live ammunition at peaceful protests. The death toll could be higher than 24 because of the authorities’ desperate efforts to cover up the atrocities. Peaceful protest over government policies is now a matter of life and death in Nigeria,” said the director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi.
The group added that Nigerian authorities must hold the police and other security agencies accountable for unleashing deadly force on people who did not constitute an imminent threat to lives.
It added that it was shocking that police engaged in flagrant denials of wrongdoing despite public evidence to the contrary, adding that this speaks to their utter disregard for the sanctity of human lives.
It urged President Bola Tinubu to constitute an independent and impartial investigation of human rights violations during the #Endbadgovernance protests.
The group reminded the Nigerian authorities that the excessive use of force by the police against protesters contravened international human rights standards, including the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials.
It claimed that those who expressed support for the protests on social media were attacked, and many were arbitrarily arrested either by the police or the State Security Service (SSS), also called the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to AI, one Khalid Aminu was arrested by the SSS in Kaduna during the protest and he said: “I was tortured for over 60 days, and the torture started right from the point of arrest. The DSS operatives beat me and other protesters with sticks and iron cables. They poured water on me. I am yet to fully recover from these atrocities.”
The organisation also disclosed that Michael Adaramoye (widely known as Lenin) was detained for two months for being part of the protest in Abuja.
It stated further that despite overwhelming evidence, including eyewitness accounts, videos, medical records, testimonies of the parents of victims and survivors, and photographs, the police had consistently denied involvement in the killings, dismissing them as “fake news” or attributing them to “unknown gunmen.”
In a report published in October, The ICIR reported that two months after the #EndBadGovernance protest, about 723 protesters arrested in Abuja and those charged to court in Kano were still struggling to meet their bail conditions.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) put the number of those arrested across the country over the protest at 1,200, while some media reports put the number at over 2400.
Recall that between August 1 to 10, 2024, Nigerians took to the streets to protest against the country’s rising cost of living and widespread corruption.
Despite efforts to suppress the protests, it went on for 10 days and turned violent in some northern states like Kadun and Kano.
A reporter with the ICIR
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