Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations high commissioner for
human rights, has faulted the manner in which the Nigeria police force set up
special weapons and tactics (SWAT) to replace the special anti-robbery squad
(SARS).
Bachelet said the police swiftly created SWAT “without first
addressing some of the root causes of police violence and putting in place
sufficient safeguards to prevent future violations.”
She also said “there have been few if any charges” against
former SARS operatives “despite abundant evidence” against them.
Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police (IGP), created
SWAT after disbanding SARS over allegations of human rights abuses as a result
of undue profiling and stereotyping.
Protests against the anti-robbery squad, however, continued
under the #EndSARS movement which metamorphosed into agitation for improved
governance in addition to justice for victims of police brutality.
On Tuesday, soldiers shot at the protesters while camping at
the Lekki tollgate, leading to the death of 12 persons, according to Amnesty
International.
In a statement condemning the security clampdown, Bachelet
called on Nigerian authorities to “deal decisively with the underlying problem
of persistent violations committed by the security forces, and make a far
stronger effort to bring police and army personnel guilty of crimes against
civilians to justice.”
“While the number of
casualties of yesterday’s shooting at the Lekki toll plaza in Lagos is still
not clear, there is little doubt that this was a case of excessive use of
force, resulting in unlawful killings with live ammunition, by Nigerian armed
forces,” she said.
“Reports that CCTV cameras and lighting were deliberately
disabled prior to the shooting are even more disturbing as, if confirmed, they
suggest this deplorable attack on peaceful protestors was premeditated, planned
and coordinated.”
The UN high commissioner added that the rights of Nigerians
to peacefully protest must be respected, describing the reported killings in
Lekki as “adding fuel to a fire that was already starting to rage out of
control.”
Bachelet said the way to restore trust and bring back peace
to the streets of Nigeria is for the authorities to take immediate concrete
steps to show they are genuinely committed to tackling impunity, after years of
inaction.
“There need to be
immediate, independent, transparent and thorough investigations, not just into
last night’s killings, but also into all the previous violations committed by
security forces,” she said.
“Those appointed to carry out such investigations must not
only be independent and impartial but must be widely perceived as such.
“And, where sufficient evidence already exists to warrant
charges, immediate suspension of officers – including senior officers —
suspected of committing serious crimes, should take place long before the
conclusion of such investigations.”
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The UN should match action with voice. You should start by placing an embargo on Nigerian political class from candidacy on UN related jobs and positions, such as the WTO, World bank, etc. This will show the seriousness the matter deserves.
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