#EndBadGovernance: Police Blasts Amnesty Internal’s Report, Demands Apology
Human rights group, Amnesty International, released a report dated November 28, 2024, wherein it condemned the Police for what it labelled “extrajudicial killings” during the last #EndBadGovernance protests.
The group stated that no fewer than 24 persons were killed by the Police in six states in northern Nigeria.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have now come out to discredit the claims made by Amnesty International.
The Force Spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, on Sunday, revealed that the Police has instituted a panel to investigate the allegations.
Meanwhile, the Police say that Amnesty’s report titled “Bloody August: Nigeria Government’s Violent Crackdown on #EndBadGovernance Protests,” is untrue.
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“Amnesty International is advised to reflect on its frequent false reporting on Nigeria’s law enforcement activities and ensure its reports are accurate and contain a true and fair representation of events affecting national security and public safety. Accurate reporting of facts is essential to the integrity of any international organisation, and Amnesty International should not be an exception,” Adejobi said.
The Police continued by stating that it will demand that the group tenders a public apology for the report as well as retracting their written claims.
“The Nigeria Police Force will, in due course, write to Amnesty International to demand the retraction of this report from the public domain along with a public apology. The Nigeria Police Force remains resolute in protecting the rights of all citizens while ensuring the security and stability of the nation. We, therefore, urge the public to be wary of sensational reports designed to incite mistrust and weaken confidence in law enforcement institutions,” he said.
The Police, also, insists that, though protests in Borno turned violent, with looting and vadalism taking center stage, the use grenades on these protesters never happened as reported.
“In Borno State, it was established that the protesters were violent, engaging in widespread looting, pillaging, and wanton destruction of public and private property. For example, the Skill Acquisition Centre of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees was looted and vandalised.
“The warehouse of the World Food Programme, located on Baga/Maimalari Barracks Road, Maiduguri, was also looted, with several items belonging to the international organisation destroyed and stolen by some of the protesters.
“Therefore, the claims by Amnesty International that the police threw a hand grenade from a convoy of vehicles into a filling station killing three persons is a blatant falsehood and leaves right-thinking members of society dismayed at this reported falsehood by an international agency that ought to act in accordance with international norms and standards of fair and honest reporting of human rights violations in the country,” he stated.
He, also, rubbished claims that 3 persons where shot dead in Suleja part of Niger state.
He also claimed that there were no protests in Kaduna on October 1, 2024.
In all, the Spokesman argued with all allegations made by Amnesty International and absolved the Police of any wrongdoing.
