October 20, 2023, makes it three years since several promising young Nigerians were brutally mowed down by the Nigerian military for protesting the excesses and human rights abuses perpetrated by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
And although Nigerians took to the streets of Lagos state and social media to mourn the death of these unarmed protesters shot by the military during the #EndSARS protests on October 20, 2020, Amnesty International in a report to commemorate the day disclosed that at least 15 protesters arrested in 2020 were still being arbitrarily detained – the majority of them without trial – in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre and Ikoyi Medium Security Correctional Centre in Lagos State.
Also a human rights group under the umbrella of Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) has condemned the continued cases of police brutality in Nigeria three years after the October 2020 nationwide #EndSARS protests.
But as the citizens hold remembrance services and reiterate the need to stop harassment by the Nigerian Police, they continue to demand justice for the dead and injured during the protests.
The EndSARS protests, aiming to address the constant Police brutality, peaked on October 20, 2020, when the military gunned down protesters on the night of October 20 at the Lekki Toll gate, where thousands of peaceful protesters converged.
The protests targeted the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a Police unit accused of constant harassment and extortion of citizens.
The Nigerian government denied the killings.
However, findings of the Lagos State Judicial Panel on #EndSARS indicted the Nigerian Army of the Lekki Toll Gate massacre.
The ICIR reports that despite the protests and subsequent actions by the Nigerian government and citizens to make the Police more responsible and committed to securing lives and property, the institution still parades crops of corrupt officers, who are often punished when caught.
On April 15 this year, the Lagos State Police Command dismissed the Divisional Police Officer of the Okokomaiko Division, Emmanuel Edebagha, over his failure to monitor the officials in his unit efficiently.
Edebagha’s men were indicted for extortion and misconduct.
Similarly, on October 18, the state Police Command, through its Commissioner, Idowu Owohunwa, ordered the immediate removal of the Divisional Police Officer of the Meiran Police Station in the state over extortion.
Nigerians react
Mohammed Taoheed, a social justice advocate and a freelance journalist, explained that despite the EndSARS protest, numerous reports have highlighted the persistent harassment and extortion of young Nigerians by the Police.
“As a concerned Nigerian and advocate of social justice, I must confess that I’m at loggerheads with the Nigerian government because of how they treated the issue of #EndSars. With no regret, I must say that I count the government as one that lacks the needed understanding of running a heterogeneous entity like this because of the nonchalant attitude displayed over this serious issue.
“We are talking about the lives of human beings — the youth we expect to grow and rule us. Their lives were wasted, and nothing meaningful has been done yet. I reiterate, nothing!”
Also, an X user with the handle Obinna Toochukwu mourned the deceased, adding that Police brutality “is a thing in Nigeria.”
“Remembering the 2020 #EndSARS
“Today, we remember those young Nigerians who fell by Police bullet. Their only offence is being a Nigerian citizen. The rogue organization has not stopped k!ll!ng, maiming, extorting and brutalizing Nigerians. Police brutality is a thing in Nigeria,” he wrote.
Another user, @Chi4Obidatti03, noted that Nigerians were yet to know who gave the order to shoot peaceful protesters in Lagos State.
“On this day, three years ago, the people who were saddled with the responsibility of protecting us pointed the gun at us and shot even when we were holding the national flag and singing the national anthem…until today, we still don’t know who gave the order #EndSARS.”
Although there have been committees’ reports and recommendations across states where the protest happened, Nigerians have continued to ask for the identification and prosecution of those who shot and gave the order to shoot the protesters.
Some other Nigerians, via social media posts, also demanded justice for those in prison and compensation for the bereaved families.
At least 15 protesters still languish in Lagos jail – Amnesty International
The Nigerian authorities have filed trumped-up charges including theft, arson, possession of unlawful firearms, and murder against many of the protesters. Some of those detained allege that they have been subjected to torture.
“Our investigation shows the Nigerian authorities’ utter disdain for human rights. Three years in detention without trial is a travesty of justice. This shows the authorities’ contempt for due process of law. The protesters must be immediately and unconditionally released,” said Isa Sanusi Director Amnesty International Nigeria.
Seven #EndSARS protesters – Daniel Joy-Igbo, Sodiq Adigun, Sunday Okoro, Olumide Fatai, Oluwole Isa, Shehu Anas, and Akiniran Oyetakin – arrested in Lagos in 2020, are being arbitrarily held in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre.
Daniel Joy-Igbo, a Beninois #EndSARS protester arrested in Lagos in October 2020, who has also been detained at the Bar Beach Police Station, the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti, and at a SARS facility in Ikeja, told Amnesty International:
Since my arraignment in December 2020, I have been locked up in the prison without trial. Since then, there is no adjourned date for my case. I have not been taken to court since December 2020.Daniel Joy-Igbo, a Beninois #EndSARS protester
Sodiq Adigun, also arrested in October 2020, who was previously detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti, told Amnesty International:
“Let the government release me. I have been detained since 2020 without trial. I am innocent. My life has been shattered. I need my liberty.”
Eight #EndSARS protesters – Segun Adeniyi, Onuorah Odih, Jeremiah Lucky, Gideon Ikwujomah, Irinyemi Olorunwanbe, Quadri Azeez, Olamide Lekan and Sadiq Riliwan – have been detained without trial in Ikoyi Medium Security Correctional Centre in Lagos since 2020.
“All those detained solely for taking part in peaceful #EndSARS protests must be released immediately and unconditionally,” said Isa Sanusi
Torture in detention
Many peaceful #EndSARS protesters have been subjected to torture and other ill treatment while in detention since 2020. They include Oluwole Isa, currently held in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre, who told Amnesty International how he was tortured while in detention at the SARS facility in Ikeja:
“I was tied with a rope. They bent me backwards and tied my hands and legs together at my back. An iron rod was passed in-between my tied legs and hands. With the iron road, I was suspended on an iron bar. Then, they started beating me with a machete and wooden batons. They were forcing me to admit that I was involved in vandalism during the #EndSARS protests. When I could not bear the torture anymore, I told Inspector that I would confess. At that point, I was almost going to die. He brought me down; I still have the scar of the machete cut on my throat …”
Resurgence of police brutality
Despite consistent claims of carrying out comprehensive police reforms in the aftermath of #EndSARS protests, Nigeria’s police continue to routinely commit violations of human rights, including extrajudicial killings, harassment, arbitrary detention, and extortion with almost absolute impunity, said Amnesty International Nigeria.
In the past year alone, Amnesty International has documented the unlawful killing of at least six people by law enforcement officers. These include 31-year-old Gafaru Buraimoh, who was killed in Lagos on 6 December 2022, and Onyeka Ibe, who was killed on 5 April 2023 in Delta state for refusing to pay N100 bribe. Other cases include Faiz Abdullahi, who died in police custody in Kaduna on 30 July 2023 following torture during interrogation, and 17-year-old student Abdullahi Tukur Abba, who died in hospital after allegedly being tortured in police custody in Yola Adamawa state on 5 August 2023.
Any changes that followed the #EndSARS protests are fast disappearing, as police brutality is again becoming a daily part of life for people across Nigeria. The recent cases of extrajudicial killings and extortion show that the police are not ready to conduct their duties in compliance with international human rights standards. Reforming the Nigeria police force will continue to be a distant dream if impunity remains part of policing operations.Isa Sanusi Director of Amnesty International Nigeria
Nigerian authorities must take concrete and effective measures to end police impunity, including by giving clear directives to the police not to violate human rights. Those suspected of violating human rights should be brought to justice in fair trials and without recourse to the death penalty. Genuine reforms must be initiated to end widespread human rights violations by the police. Nigeria has an obligation to ensure that torture and other ill-treatment are not carried out under any circumstances.
Background
On 8 October 2020, Nigerians took to the streets protesting atrocities by the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) which was a unit of the Nigeria Police established to fight violent crimes. On 20 October 2020, at least 12 peaceful protesters were killed in Alausa and Lekki Lagos by security operatives. At least 56 people have died across the country during the protests. Victims include protesters and thugs who were allegedly hired by the authorities to confront the protesters. In many cases, the law enforcement and security forces had used excessive force in an attempt to control or stop the protests.
Credit: icirnigeria/Amnesty International
