Police Reject Allegations Of “Extrajudicial Killings”
The Nigeria police have rejected accusations made by Amnesty International in its report titled “Bloody August: Nigeria’s government’s violent crackdown on the #EndBadGovernance protest, describing the claims as false, misleading, and damaging to the image of the force.
The police were accused of extrajudicial killings during the August 1–10 #hunger protests that resulted in the deaths of 20 persons in six northern states. This was based on the information disclosed on November 28, 2024. but the police allegedly denied it.
Muyiwa Adejobi, the force spokesperson, spoke to the press on Sunday concerning the allegations. He explained that a thorough investigation was carried out by a special investigator together with the police commissioners of the states where the killings happened, and the results that were obtained did not tally with what Amnesty International had accused them of.
He added that Amnesty International is demanded to withdraw their false statement and apologise for the false allegation against the police force.
His speech goes thus: “Amnesty International is advised to have retrospection on its frequently false reporting on Nigeria’s law enforcement activities and reflect on its reporting methodology by ensuring that its reports are accurate and contain a true and fair expression of events that touch on the national security and safety of all Nigerians. Accurate reporting of facts is key to the integrity and character of every international organisation, and Amnesty International should not be an exception.
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The spokesperson added, “The Nigeria Police Force will, in due time, be writing to Amnesty International to demand a retraction of this report from the public space and a public apology. The Nigeria Police Force remains resolute in protecting the rights of all citizens while ensuring the security and stability of the nation. We, therefore, urge the public to be wary of sensational reports designed to incite mistrust and weaken confidence in law enforcement institutions.”
Adejobi further clears the claims of the police using a grenade on the people in Borno State, which killed a few persons. He pointed out, “In Borno State, it was established that the protesters were violent, engaging in widespread looting, pillaging, and wanton destruction of public and private property. For example, the Skill Acquisition Centre of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees was looted and vandalised.
The warehouse of the World Food Programme, located on Baga/Maimalari Barracks Road, Maiduguri, was also looted, with several items belonging to the international organisation destroyed and stolen by some of the protesters.
“Therefore, the claims by Amnesty International that the police threw a hand grenade from a convoy of vehicles into a filling station, killing three persons, are a blatant falsehood and leave right-thinking members of society dismayed at this reported falsehood by an international agency that ought to act under international norms and standards of fair and honest reporting of human rights violations in the country.”
He cleared the allegations that three persons were gunned down by the police in Suleja, Niger State.
Adejobi also said that based on the investigation findings, the accused killing of the 21-year-old person in Katsina is believed to be false.
Based on an Amnesty International report, which he contradicted, saying that there was no protest nor killing that occurred on October 1, 2024, in Kaduna. He said the only record case with the military was resolved.
The spokesman also addressed other states’ killings and cases that Amnesty International mentioned.
The deaths of two women and a man during a protest in Jigawa and findings show that the casualties occurred from protesters’ violence, and also the 12 deaths in Kano resulted from violence between looters and criminals, and the police are not involved in any of those cases.
Content Credit| Igbakuma Rita Doom
Picture Credit | https://humanglemedia.com/wait-a-minute-can-nigerias-police-officers-go-on-strike/
