Amnesty International says at least 24 protesters were killed during the #EndBadGovernance protest in Nigeria.
Nigerians held a 10-day nationwide protest from August 1, against the pervasive hardship in the country.
The protest turned violent in some parts of the country with police shooting teargas at demonstrators and journalists.
There were also reported cases of looting and vandalism of public and private properties in some northern states.
In its recent report titled ‘Bloody August: Nigerian government’s violent crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protests’ released on Thursday, Amnesty International said about 1,200 protesters were arrested during the demonstration.
The human rights organisation said the Nigerian authorities perpetrated “acts of torture and other ill-treatment against protesters”.
It added that the crackdown on the protesters “shows Nigerian authorities’ failure to respect and facilitate the right to freedom of expression”.
The organisation called on the federal government to reverse the “recurrent cycle of impunity” and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice in fair trial.
“Amnesty International has found that Nigerian authorities killed at least 24 protesters and arrested 1,200 hundreds of protesters during the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests between 1-10 August,” the report said.
“The organization also found that several #EndBadGovernance protesters have been arraigned nationwide and put through trials based on bogus charges, in a clear manifestation of the government’s unrelenting efforts to punish protesters and demonize protests.”
Speaking during the presentation of the report in Kano, Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International’s country director, said two children and 20 young persons were among those killed during the protest.
Sanusi explained that Nigerians witnessed “high level of lawlessness” with police firing live ammunition at close range at protesters.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to investigate the human rights allegation, and ensure effective remedies for victims and their families.
“Two survivors suffered injuries after being shot by police in the arm and legs, others were suffocated by the indiscriminate use of tear gas,” Sanusi said.
“The death toll could be higher than 24 because of the authorities’ apparent desperate efforts to cover up the atrocities. Peaceful protest over government policies is now a matter of life and death in Nigeria.
“President Bola Tinubu and his government must conduct prompt, thorough, independent, impartial, transparent and effective investigations into the allegations of human rights violations during the #EndBadGovernance protests, and ensure that those suspected to be responsible are identified and brought to justice in fair trials.”
