Nigeria police arrest 681 protesters, recovers live ammunition

The police have arrested no fewer than 681 persons across the country for various offences during the ongoing protest against hunger and the government’s anti-people policies.

The police, in a statement by its spokesperson, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed that the arrested individuals committed various criminal offences, such as armed robbery, arson, mischief, and destruction of both public and private property.

The force also revealed that the arrested individuals were found with dangerous weapons, including two AK-47 rifles and assorted live ammunition from the so-called protesters.

It added that stolen items such as furniture, electronics, phones, other various shop items, and vital infrastructure worth billions of naira were recovered from the arrested persons.

The force noted that the arrest was in an effort to combat the trend of crimes and criminality during the ongoing protest.

“The Nigeria Police personnel deployed to manage the protests have acted professionally, refraining from using lethal weapons. In instances where protesters became riotous, the police employed teargas to disperse them,” the NPF stated.

“Even when our officers on lawful duty were attacked and injured, the police effected arrests using only teargas, demonstrating utmost restraint.”

The police force also said, contrary to circulating news, that organisers of the protest or protesters were not arrested and that those in police custody are under investigation for clear connections to criminal activities.

The police also disputed a report by Amnesty International that claims that 13 people died during the ongoing nationwide protests in the country that began on Thursday, August 1.

Amnesty International, in a statement on Friday, said security forces killed six people in Suleja near the capital, four in the northeastern city of Maiduguri and three in Kaduna in the northwest the previous day.

“Our findings, so far, show that security personnel at the locations where lives were lost deliberately used tactics designed to kill while dealing with gatherings of people protesting hunger and deep poverty,” Amnesty said.

Meanwhile, the police force said only seven deaths were recorded, none of which were caused by security personnel.