Amnesty International says the
“failure” of the Rivers state government to protect residents from violent
gangs has led to the loss of many lives.
The organisation, in a statement
on Thursday, said it is deeply concerned that the authorities are doing “little
or nothing” to address ongoing violence in the state.
Citing communities like Khana and
Gokana local government areas, AI said at least 60 people were killed across
the state in 2019.
Osai Ojigho, director of AI
Nigeria, said findings by the organisation showed that the government is still
not doing enough to protect people in these communities.
“The authorities have failed to
bring those responsible for these horrific crimes to justice and have allowed a
climate of impunity to fuel further violence,” Ojigho said.
“The government has an obligation
to defend and protect the people; its failure to provide security for people in
Rivers state especially in Emohua, Khana and Gokana local government areas and
its failure to investigate and prosecute those responsible for these killings
created an atmosphere of fear and bloodshed in the region.
“In few cases where the Nigerian
security agencies did respond to the armed gang clashes, their response is
always slow and inadequate. Residents informed Amnesty International that gang
clashes usually last for 2 – 3 hours while security forces always arrive hours
after the clashes ended.
“The Nigerian authorities must
perform their duty of providing security and must ensure justice through
impartial and independent investigation, and adequate reparations for the
victims of this violence, including the families of those killed.
“We call on the Nigerian
authorities to take more robust action to stop these attacks by investigating
every clash and bringing perpetrators to justice.”
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