Nigeria: International Amnesty Dennounce Violence Against Protesters
Nigerian Protester, Photo: EFE
November 28, 2024 Hour: 8:59 pm
International Amnesty (IA) condemned on Thursday the “excessive use of force against demonstrators” during protests in August in Nigeria, where police killed at least 24 people in several states of the country, according to this organization.
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“In all cases the victims were shot by police, who fired live ammunition at close range, often to the head or torso, suggesting that the officers were shooting to kill,” AI denounced in a report entitled ‘Bloody August: violent repression by the Nigerian government in protests against bad governance’.
Among the dead of peaceful demonstrations against corruption and economic hardship are 20 young people, an elderly person and two children, the organization said.
In addition to the dead, there were dozens injured by the harsh police response, according to the report: two survivors were wounded after being shot in the arm and legs; others were suffocated by indiscriminate use of tear gas.
“The Nigerian people witnessed incredible anarchy, as security personnel fired live ammunition at peaceful protests. The death toll could be over 24 due to desperate efforts by authorities to cover up the atrocities,” said AI Nigeria director Isa Sanusi.
In its report, AI urges the Nigerian authorities to hold the police accountable for violence during the nationwide protests, which took place from 1 to 10 August and were largely attended by young people.
“It is scandalous that the police have flagrantly denied having acted badly despite public evidence to the contrary, and this speaks of their utter disregard for the inviolability of human lives. The president, Bola Tinubu, must constitute an independent and impartial investigation of human rights violations,” Sanusi demanded.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: EFE-Africanews
