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The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has raised serious concerns about a recent report from Amnesty International. The report accuses the police of employing excessive force, resulting in the deaths of citizens during the national #EndBadGovernance and #Hunger protests held between August 1 and 10.
Contrary to Amnesty International’s allegations, the Inspector-General of Police stated that only seven deaths were documented during the protests, not the 24 suggested in the report. He also denied police involvement in any of the fatalities.
Amnesty International, in a report released last week, claimed that the Nigeria Police were responsible for the deaths of at least 24 protesters and the detention of over 1,200 individuals during the nationwide protests.
The organization detailed that among those killed were 20 youths, an elderly person, and two young 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.
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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.
“For example, in Borno State, four individuals tragically lost their lives, and 34 others sustained severe injuries following an attack by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP operatives who infiltrated the protest and detonated an Improvised Explosive Device.
“Similarly, in another isolated incident, an unregistered vehicle rammed into protesters, resulting in two fatalities. These events, which accounted for the total of seven recorded deaths during the protests, were not caused by police actions.”
