The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has expressed concerns over a report by Amnesty International, accusing the police of using excessive force and killing citizens during the national #EndBadGovernance or #Hunger protests that were held between August 1 and 10.
According to the IG, contrary to the claim by Amnesty, seven deaths, and not 24 were recorded during the protests, and the police were not responsible for the deaths.
Amnesty International had in its report released last week alleged that no fewer than 24 protesters were killed and over 1,200 others detained by the Nigeria Police during the nationwide demonstrations.
The organisation stated that those killed included 20 young people, an older adult, and two children.
Reacting to the report, the IG, in a statement on Monday by the Force Spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, described the allegations as unfounded, misleading, and inconsistent with incident reports submitted to his office by affected commands.
Egbetokun said, “The Nigeria Police Force has expressed serious concern regarding a recent 34-page report released by Amnesty International, which alleges police culpability in the deaths and arrests of protesters, and the use of excessive force during the #EndBadGovernance protests in August 2024.
“The Force categorically refutes these allegations as unfounded, misleading, and inconsistent with incident reports submitted to the office of the Inspector-General of Police by affected commands”.
Egbetokun maintained that throughout the protests police officers conducted themselves professionally by the rules of engagement.
He said, “The Force wishes to reiterate that throughout the protests, it operated in compliance with established rules of engagement, including providing security for peaceful protesters.
“The Inspector-General of Police had issued clear directives to all Commissioners of Police on managing the protests, emphasising that officers should not deploy arms to manage protests.
“Instead, arms were only to be used when protests escalated into riots involving loss of lives and property damage. Even then, engagement with armed protesters was limited strictly to specialised armed units to restore order.”
“The Nigeria Police Force recorded several unpalatable incidents during the protests, which were accurately documented and publicly shared.
Peoplesmind