Police refute Amnesty report on protest deaths

The Nigeria Police Force has disputed a report by Amnesty International, an international nongovernmental organisation, 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, in a statement by its spokesperson, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed that only seven deaths were recorded, none of which were caused by security personnel.

The force explained that in Borno State, four individuals lost their lives and thirty-four were severely injured in a terrorist attack by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP elements who infiltrated the crowd of protesters and detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

It added that an unregistered Honda Prelude car collided with the protesters, killing two civilians. The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene. The vehicle was vandalised following the incident, but it has been recovered and is currently in police custody. Efforts are ongoing to trace the driver and bring him to justice.

The force also reported that there was another incident reported in Yauri, in Yauri Local Government Area of Kebbi State, where a group of individuals mobilised to loot a shop. In the process, a local vigilante man shot and killed one of the looters.

“The Commissioner of Police in charge of Kebbi State is currently investigating the incident. This brings the total number of deaths recorded during the protests to seven (7),” the force said.

“It is important to state that there were no other recorded fatalities during the protests apart from those mentioned above. However, incidences of armed robbery, arson, mischief, looting of public institutions and private businesses, destructions of both public and private property were recorded during the protest. Arrests were made with respect to these criminal incidences and a number of recoveries made from the suspects while the protest was going on.”

The police also denied using lethal weapons against protesters, saying they employed teargas to disperse riotous crowds.

It noted that its personnel deployed to manage the protests have acted professionally, refraining from using lethal weapons, adding that “Even when our officers on lawful duty were attacked and injured, the police effected arrests using only teargas, demonstrating utmost restraint.”

Force also announced the arrest of 681 individuals for various crimes, including armed robbery, arson, mischief, and destructions of both public and private property.

“Dangerous weapons, including two (2) AK-47 rifles and assorted live ammunition, were recovered from the so-called protesters. Additionally, stolen items such as furniture, electronics, phones, other various shop items, and vital infrastructures worth billions of naira were recovered from the arrested persons.”

Contrary to circulating news, it also added that the organisers of the protest or protesters were not arrested, stating that those in police custody are under investigation for clear connections to criminal activities.

Furthermore, the security agency also disclosed that nine of its police officers sustained various degrees of injuries during attacks by protesters, adding that “one of them, who initially was reported dead, miraculously survived but remains in critical condition.”

The force, however, urged law-abiding citizens to withdraw from the protest, noting that the protest has obviously turned violent.