Nigeria Police Faults Amnesty International on EndBadGovernance Killings, Demands retraction

By Oluwakemi Kindness

The Nigeria Police Force on Sunday knocked Amnesty International over allegations made in its #EndBadGovernance Protests report were it accused the police of extrajudicial killings of 24 people in six northern states.

The Police in dismissing the report at a Press Briefing on Sunday described the claims as false, misleading, and damaging to the image of the force.

Addressing Newsmen, Force Spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi revealed that a special investigative panel had been constituted to verify the claims.

He explained that the panel, in collaboration with commissioners of police from the affected states, conducted extensive investigations and compiled a comprehensive report highlighting inaccuracies in Amnesty International’s allegations.

“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.

He noted that the police would write to demand a retraction of the report as well as a public apology for the alleged inaccuracies.

The Force relations officer added that 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.

Adejobi further stressed that police findings in Borno, shows that the police did not use grenades as claimed by the organisation.

 

Police Verified Findings:

1. BORNO STATE:

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 (UNHCR) was looted and vandalized. The warehouse of the World Food Programme, located on Baga/Maimalari Barracks Road, Maiduguri, was also looted, with several items belonging to the international organization destroyed and stolen by some of the protesters.

Of particular interest is the reported death of three fuel attendants at A.A Kime Filling Station—Nasiru Mustapha (26), Amodu Garba Maina (24), and Momodi Hassan. Amnesty International claimed on pages 22 and 25 of its report that these three individuals died when a hand grenade was thrown into the filling station by a convoy of police vehicles. These allegations are not only false and misleading but are also a clear attempt to incite the general public against the police and tarnish the image of the Nigeria Police Force in the eyes of the international community.

For the record, the Nigeria Police does not possess or utilize explosive hand grenades in its operations. Explosive hand grenades have never been purchased, issued, or utilized by the Nigeria Police Force since its establishment as a law enforcement agency. How and where Amnesty International obtained such information can only be speculated upon by mischievous minds.

To set the record straight, the trio of Nasiru Mustapha, Amodu Garba Maina, and Momodu Hassan, all staff of Kime and Sons Filling Station, were killed by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) fabricated with a safety-free mechanism and planted at the filling station on Baga Road, Maiduguri—not at Bolori Junction as Amnesty International claimed. Furthermore, these three young men were not protesting when they met their untimely deaths. In fact, they did not participate in the protests and were believed to have been killed for choosing to ignore the protests and continue with their lawful business. It should also be noted that the Nigeria Police, based on credible intelligence, had warned ahead of the protests of terror elements planning to infiltrate the demonstrations.

The protest in Borno State on 1st August, 2024, witnessed three IED explosions planted by unknown persons at the following locations:

• Deribe Junction along Bulumkutu-Abuja Road, Maiduguri;

• Kime and Sons Filling Station along Baga Road, Maiduguri; and

• A residential area within Maiduguri metropolis.

The Police Bomb Disposal Unit responded to these explosions, recovered evidence of the improvised explosive devices, and facilitated the evacuation of casualties to the hospital. For example, at Deribe Junction, the explosion left three adult males severely injured—Guri Mohammed (24), Isa Hussaini (20), and Ahmed Abdullahi Yusuf (24). At the third location, one Modu Jalo (35) was injured in a residential house in the “Maduganari” area.

Therefore, the claims by Amnesty International that the Police threw hand grenade from a convoy of vehicles into a Filling Station killing three persons is a blatant falsehood and leaves right thinking members of the society dismayed at this reported falsehood by an international agency which ought to act in accordance with international norms and standard of fair and honest reporting of human rights violations in the country.

2. NIGER STATE:

Amnesty International alleged that three persons—Yahaya Isa (32), Mohammed Bukau (38), and Musa Muhammadu—were shot and killed in Suleja, Niger State. This claim has been found to be false. Reputable sources in Suleja and Tafa areas confirmed that nobody was killed by the police in Niger State on 1st August, 2024.

It is instructive to note that Amnesty International’s claim was based solely on an unverified and disputed report published in Premium Times on 18th August, 2024, titled “How Police Killed, Injured Protesters During End Bad Governance Protest in Niger State.” For an international agency to publish a report based on unverified local tabloid information is unethical. If Amnesty International’s motives were genuine, it would have verified this information from local authorities before publication.

3. KATSINA STATE:

In Katsina State, Amnesty International alleged that one Shafiu Mukhtar of Filin Sanyi Kofar, Sauri, Katsina, aged 21, was shot dead by the police on 5th August, 2024. This report has been fact-checked and found to be false. Reliable sources confirmed to the verification team that there was no report of any killing in the community on that day. There are also no records in police stations or hospitals of such an incident.

4. KADUNA STATE:

Amnesty International’s report claimed that on 1st October, 2024, the police in Kaduna State killed one Abubakar Adamu Abdullahi, a 24-year-old tailor, by shooting him in the chest. However, from verified records, there was no protest in Kaduna on that date, nor was there any killing recorded. Instead, on 6th August, 2024, during the protests, a military patrol at Samaru, Zaria, accosted some youths vandalizing public property. In the process of firing a warning shot, one Ismail Mohammed was accidentally hit by a bullet and died on the way to the hospital. The Nigerian Army immediately took responsibility for this incident, conducting an open investigation, arresting the soldier responsible, and visiting the family of the deceased. Amnesty International’s report on this incident is a misrepresentation.

5. JIGAWA STATE:

In Jigawa State, Amnesty International stated in its report that two female citizens were shot and killed by the Police at Hadejia and Dutse. The report on pages 20 and 21 identified those killed as Halima Abdullahi ‘F’ aged 28yrs allegedly killed at Hadejia; Sadiya Sabiu ‘F’ aged 20yrs allegedly killed at Hadejia; while Rabiu Salihu ‘M’ (age unstated) was said to have been killed in Dutse. This report has also been found to be inaccurate and totally misleading. There is no evidence of killing at Hadejia as confirmed by relevant authorities of the Hadejia Emirate Council. The alleged death of Halima Abdullahi and Sadiya Sabiu has been found to be false, while Rabiu Salihu was not killed by the Police as alleged but died from injuries sustained when some protesters who attempted to gain forceful entry into the Government House Dutse, hurled stones and hard objects in his direction and fatally injured him on the head. He was eventually rescued by the Police and rushed to the Dutse Teaching Hospital where he succumbed to his injury. The assertion by Amnesty International that he was shot in the head by the Police is emphatically false and outrageous especially as the report stated that he died the next day. One wonders how a victim of gunshot to the head would manage to survive for that long. It must be noted that even when the protesters in Jigawa became violent and riotous, the Police restrained itself and avoided the use of firearms against the protesters.

6. KANO STATE:

In Kano, Amnesty International alleged that the Police shot and killed twelve (12) persons from 1st – 3rd August 2024. While unconfirmed records suggested that twelve (12) persons comprising of eleven (11) males and one (1) female died from various degree of injuries, none was attributed to police action. The unverified reports suggested that some of the protesters who died, were killed by the owners of the property they were looting and pillaging, and others were killed by assailants who took undue advantage of the crisis and riot across the city to perpetrate heinous crimes.

However, from verified records in Kano State Police Command, there were no documented evidence or records of loss of lives reported to the Police by relatives of the deceased.

It is important to note that some of the Protesters arrested in Kano had in their possession AK47 Rifles, which were recovered and properly documented by the Police in Kano. A Protester found in possession of firearms was identified as Mahe Ahmed Mohammed. He was arrested with Rifle Nos.9130 and 1494 along with fifty-nine other suspects, who had invaded the premises of Kano State High Court at the Audu Bako Secretariat and stolen several government properties.

Other Allegations:

The Nigeria Police Force categorically denies the allegations of excessive use of force as claimed by Amnesty International as these claims are false, misleading, and an unfair misrepresentation of the actions and conduct of our officers. The Nigeria Police Force operates under the highest professional standards and remains fully committed to upholding human rights and the rule of law. Our officers deployed for protest management are regularly being trained in compliance with international human rights standards.

END