In Suleja (Niger State) alone, no fewer than six people, including those not participating in the protests, were killed by security officials, according to a PREMIUM TIMES investigation.
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“In response to Amnesty International’s allegations, the IGP has directed a comprehensive investigation into the claims,” Mr Adejobi stated. “Commissioners of Police in the affected states have been mandated to submit further detailed reports on the incidents within one week.” In its report released on 01 December, Amnesty International said about 24 protesters were killed in six states: Borno, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Niger. The rights group added that several persons were injured and over 1,200 protesters were arrested, including activists and journalists.
The pardon Mr Adejobi referred to appears to be the freedom granted dozens of protesters, many of them minors, following the local and international criticism of their detention and treatment by police and prison authorities. PREMIUM TIMES reported how some of the minors fainted in court due to poor treatment, over 60 days after they were detained. The criticisms forced the government to withdraw the charges against them and they were set free by the court.
“The Nigeria Police Force has maintained that it operated within established rules of engagement, providing security for peaceful protesters throughout the protests,” Mr Adejobi, the police spokesperson, said in his statement, describing the report by Amnesty International as “unfounded, misleading, and inconsistent with reports from affected police commands.
The group recommended the immediate and unconditional release of people detained “solely for peacefully exercising their human rights, including the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, and expression, during the hunger protests.” It recommended that the police implement an ammunition registration and control system. In addition, the group advised that the police implement a communications records system to monitor operational orders and identify who issued them and who carried them out.
The rights group also urged the United Nations to “publicly condemn crimes and human rights violations committed against peaceful protesters by the Nigeria police and other security forces.”
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