Amnesty International (AI) says one year after the #EndSARS
protests no security operative has been made to face justice for the “brutal
crackdown” on peaceful protesters.
The human rights watchdog said instead, reports of human
rights violations by the police have continued.
In October 2020, youths across the country took to the
streets to demand an end to extrajudicial killings by the disbanded special
anti-robbery squad (SARS), police brutality, harassment and bad governance.
The demonstration reached its climax on October 20, 2020, when security operatives reportedly opened fire on the protesters at Lekki tollgate in Lagos.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday, Osai Ojigho,
director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said the judicial panels of inquiry
set up to investigate abuses of security operatives have made little progress.
“Under the pretext of restoring order, horrific injuries
were inflicted on hundreds of people and at least 56 people were killed, among
them dozens of young people lost their lives as Nigerian security forces used
unnecessary and excessive force to disperse peaceful protesters across the country,”
Ojigho said.
“It is unacceptable that despite overwhelming evidence, the
government continues to deny the use of live ammunition on protesters at Lekki
toll gate exactly a year ago.
“Amnesty
International had documented incidents at Lekki Toll Gate Lagos and other parts
of Nigeria, showing the violent response of the Nigerian security forces to
peaceful protests. The clear aim of the crackdown was to instil fear,
discourage peaceful protests and punish those demanding an end to widespread
human rights violations by the police.
“After reviewing videos and photos of the protest sites,
Amnesty International found that in nearly 21 incidents where violence occurred
between peaceful protesters and pro-government supporters, security forces not
only failed to take preventive measures to avoid peaceful assemblies from being
disrupted, but they also failed to protect protesters from violent attacks.
“In many instances, the police and other security agents
watched as apparently government-backed armed thugs attacked peaceful
protesters. In some cases, these thugs were brought to the protest sites in
government vehicles. On at least two occasions, these attacks resulted in the
death of protesters.
“Almost every person arrested during the protests described
being beaten with the butt of a gun, whips and fists during their arrests.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 12
journalists were attacked during the #EndSARS protests by security forces and
unidentified perpetrators.
“Many of those
detained interviewed by Amnesty International said that they were tortured
while in detention. In many cases, police abuse continued in detention, in
police stations and other holding facilities, and on the way to detention, in
police vehicles. Several such cases amount to torture and other ill-treatment”.
The group said the arrested protesters were denied access to
lawyers and medical care by the police.
“Several lawyers and human rights defenders said they spent
days moving from one police station to another trying to find out where those
who had been arrested were being,” AI said.
“One person arrested during a protest on 18 October 2020 and
held at Lagos state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Panti, said he
repeatedly asked to call a lawyer. He was told by a police officer to shut up.
While in detention, he was denied access to a lawyer who had come to see him
and was unable to meet with a lawyer until a week after being arrested.
“Providing timely
access to lawyers is an important safeguard for many human rights, such as the
right to a fair trial and ensuring the detainee’s rights are respected in
custody, including the right to access medical care when needed, as well as
protection from coerced confessions and torture and other ill-treatment”
“What we observed at these panels is discouraging and
clearly shows there is no real commitment to ensuring justice for victims of
police violence across Nigeria. These panels raised hopes of getting justice
but in some states, this is quickly vanishing,” said Ojigho.
AI asked President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfil his promise of
reforming the police “to end the reign of impunity Nigerians have been protesting
against for many years”.
“Failure to bring to justice those suspected to be
responsible for the torture and killings of #EndSARS protesters on 20 October
2020 is yet another indication that Nigerian authorities lack the political
will to ensure accountability for these atrocities, and end police brutality,”
AI said.
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