The Nigeria Police Force has strongly dismissed the allegations made by Amnesty International in its recent report titled “Bloody August: Nigeria Government’s Violent Crackdown on #EndBadGovernance Protests,” calling the claims false, misleading, and harmful to the image of the police.
Released on November 28, 2024, the Amnesty International report accused the police of committing extrajudicial killings during the #hunger protests between August 1-10, alleging that at least 24 people were killed across six northern states. However, the police force has refuted these claims, asserting that their investigation findings contradict the accusations.
In a press briefing held on Sunday, the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, revealed that a special investigative panel had been set up to verify the allegations. The panel worked in collaboration with Commissioners of Police from the affected states, conducting thorough investigations that resulted in a detailed report highlighting the inaccuracies in Amnesty International’s claims.
Adejobi advised Amnesty International to reflect on its reporting practices, urging the organization to ensure that future reports are accurate and fair. “Accurate reporting is essential for the integrity of any international organization, and Amnesty International should not be an exception,” Adejobi remarked, adding that the police would formally demand a retraction of the report and a public apology for the errors.
The police findings included a detailed refutation of several claims made in the report. In Borno State, Adejobi dismissed allegations that the police had used grenades during the protests, stating that the protesters had been violent, engaging in widespread looting and destruction of both public and private property. The police emphasized that the incident involving the grenade in Maiduguri, which allegedly killed three people, was entirely false.
Similarly, in Niger State, the police disproved claims that three individuals were shot dead in Suleja, and the alleged killing of a 21-year-old in Katsina was also found to be unsubstantiated, with local sources confirming no such incident had occurred. Adejobi further clarified that no protests or police killings had taken place in Kaduna on October 1, 2024, as claimed by Amnesty International. Instead, an incident involving the Nigerian Army was investigated.
In Jigawa State, where Amnesty reported the deaths of two women and a man during protests, the police investigations revealed that no such killings occurred. They also found that the only fatality resulted from protester violence, not police action. In Kano, where the report alleged 12 deaths from police actions, the police clarified that the deaths were due to violent confrontations between looters and criminals, rather than any action by the police.
The Nigeria Police Force has vowed to continue protecting the rights of citizens while ensuring national security and stability. It urged the public to remain cautious of sensationalized reports that could incite mistrust and undermine confidence in law enforcement.
