THE Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has faulted the recent report by Amnesty International (AI), which alleged police culpability in the deaths and arrests of protesters and the use of excessive force during the #EndBadGovernance protests in August this year.
The NPF, in a statement released on Monday, December 2, described the allegations as unfounded, misleading, and inconsistent with incident reports submitted to the office of the inspector-general of police (IGP) by affected commands.
The police reiterated that throughout the protests, it operated in compliance with established rules of engagement, including providing security for peaceful protesters.
The statement added that the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, had issued clear directives to all commissioners of police on managing the protests, emphasising that officers should not deploy arms to manage protests.
“Instead, arms were only to be used when protests escalated into riots involving loss of lives and property damage. Even then, engagement with armed protesters was limited strictly to specialised armed units to restore order.
“The Nigeria Police Force recorded several unpalatable incidents during the protests, which were accurately documented and publicly shared.
“For example, in Borno State, four individuals tragically lost their lives, and 34 others sustained severe injuries following an attack by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP operatives who infiltrated the protest and detonated an improvised explosive device (IED),” the NPF stated.
The police said in a similar, “isolated incident,” an unregistered vehicle rammed into protesters, resulting in fatalities.
“These events, which accounted for the total of seven recorded deaths during the protests, were not caused by police actions,” the Force added.
The Police argued that it employed strategic measures, including the lawful use of tear gas, to prevent further escalation and ensure public safety.
Furthermore, the police claimed that the use of tear gas is a globally accepted practice for dispersing unruly crowds and was applied judiciously without recourse to live ammunition.
They denied the use of live ammunition and causing the death of any protester.
However, the Force stated that the IGP had directed a comprehensive investigation into the claims of AI and commissioners of police in the affected states had been mandated to submit further detailed reports on the incidents within one week.
The AI in a report released on Thursday said at least 24 protesters were killed and over 1,200 others, including minors, were detained during the #Endbadgovernance protest.
Months after the protests, AI in the statement accused the police authorities of using “excessive force” against demonstrators during the protest.
The organisation said the police used extreme force against protesters leading to fatalities in states namely Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa and Niger.
In another statement, the NPF said the IGP, reaffirmed the capacity and expertise of the police in tackling cybercrimes and protecting cyberspace in Nigeria and beyond.
The IGP made this known while commending the police operatives attached to Zone 7 command and the National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC) Abuja for bursting a group of foreign nationals involved in a series of cybercrimes including internet fraud and marketing scams.
The suspects were arrested on November 3, 2024, in Jahi, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
During the investigation, operatives of the NPF-NCCC recovered an array of critical digital evidence, believed to be instrumental in the syndicate’s cybercrime operations.
A reporter with the ICIR
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