Amnesty International Condemns Killing of 13 #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria Protesters
Amnesty International has condemned the alleged killing of 13 protesters by security personnel across Nigeria, describing the incidents as “unjustified and unacceptable.”
The protests were part of the ongoing #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria movement.
In a statement on Friday, the Country Director, Isa Sanusi, demanded an impartial and effective investigation into these incidents.
“The Nigerian authorities must investigate these incidents impartially and effectively and ensure that security personnel suspected of responsibility for the alleged deadly use of force are held to account through fair trial,” Sanusi stated.
Amnesty International detailed the occurrences in various locations, alleging that six people and dozens were injured in Suleja, Niger state, four people were killed in Maidugri, and three people were killed in Kaduna state.
The organization expressed deep concern over the Nigerian authorities’ “growing hostility to dissent” and the “relentless repression of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.”
“Our findings, so far, show that security personnel at the locations where lives were lost deliberately used tactics designed to kill while dealing with gatherings of people protesting hunger and deep poverty,” the statement read.
Amnesty International urged the Nigerian government to take concrete steps to address the impact of recent reforms on economic, social, and cultural rights, including people’s rights to health and education.
The organization also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested for participating in the protests and an end to the rampant violations of the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
Meanwhile, the Niger State Police Command responded to the allegations in a report issued on Thursday by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun.
The report acknowledged the chaos at the Tafa Local Government Council Secretariat, where miscreants looted, vandalized, and partly set the building ablaze, damaging and burning vehicles.
According to Abiodun, security agencies responded by arresting individuals and dispersing the crowd with minimum force. He emphasized that there were no fatalities during the process, though some miscreants were mildly injured in the stampede and were taken to nearby medical facilities for treatment.
