THE Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to Amnesty International (AI), demanding a retraction and public apology over its report on the #EndBadGovernance protest in the country in August 2024.
The NPF accused the AI of making unsubstantiated allegations of police brutality, human rights violations, and excessive violence in its report titled “Bloody August: Nigeria Government’s Violent Crackdown on End Bad Governance Protests.”
In a statement on Tuesday, January 14, signed by the Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the police described the report as “misleading and entirely baseless.”
According to the statement, the police acted with professionalism and restraint during the protests, even under severe provocation and attacks by criminal elements.
“Evidence, including national media coverage, demonstrates the police’s efforts to maintain law and order while safeguarding peaceful protesters. Criminal elements attempting to exploit the protests were, however, arrested and dealt with according to law,” Adejobi stated.
These claims, however, contrast with several evidence-based reports of police attacks on Nigerians during the protest. The ICIR in several reports documented how the security operatives including the Nigeria police violated the human rights of protesters, Nigerians and journalists during the demonstration.
While The ICIR can’t confirm the number of deaths during the protest, this organisation reported a series of police brutality, harassment and arbitrary arrests during the protest in FCT, Kano and Sokoto.
Among those arrested were minors and individuals who claimed not to be involved in the protests. Most of these individuals were kept incommunicado without trial for days, against the Nigerian Constitution.
Recall that between August 1 and 10, 2024, Nigerians took to the streets to protest against the country’s rising cost of living and widespread corruption.
The latest rebuttal is the third in a series of rejection of the AI’s report by the police.
At a press briefing on Sunday, December 22, 2024, the police described the claims as false, misleading, and harmful to the police’s image.
The ICIR reported that AI had in a report on November 28, stated that at least 24 people were killed and over 1,200 others, including minors, were detained during the protest.
The report 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.
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.
But Adejobi said a report from a special investigative panel constituted to verify the claims, highlighted inaccuracies in AI’s report.
The NPF, in its latest statement, further criticised the report for undermining public trust and demoralising officers who risk their lives to protect citizens. “This publication harms the reputation of the organisation and undermines years of diligent efforts to build trust with Nigerian citizens,” the statement read.
The police warned that if AI failed to retract the report and issue a public apology within seven days, they would consider legal action.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M