13 people killed so far in nationwide protest—Amnesty International Nigeria
Amnesty International Nigeria has revealed that at least 13 protesters had been killed in the wake of the #End bad governance protest ongoing in the country.
The human rights body, in a statement on Friday morning on its official X handle, said that the peaceful protesters were killed by suspected security personnel across the country.
Summing up the number, it stated that six people were killed in Suleja, Niger State, four in Maiduguri, and three in Kaduna.
Tagged “#End bad governance,” the protest is a public demonstration by the Nigerian people in the wake of the economic hardships bedeviling the country.
Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the killings and called on the government to investigate them, saying the use of force against peaceful protesters is not acceptable.
“The Nigerian authorities must investigate these incidents and ensure that security personnel suspected of responsibility for deadly use of force are held to account through a fair trial. Violent crackdown on peaceful protesters is unjustified and unacceptable.
It added, “Our findings so far show that security personnel at the locations where lives were lost deliberately used tactics designed to kill while dealing with gatherings of people protesting hunger and deep poverty.
The body stressed that the “Nigerian security agencies’ unlawful attitude of using firearms as a tactical tool for the management of protests must end.”
Protests have continued to be held across major cities like Lagos and Abuja, while curfew has been declared in some other states like Kano, Yobe, and Jigawa.
Meanwhile, police in Kano State said no fewer than 269 protesters were arrested on Thursday for looting public properties during the protest in the state.
