ENDBANDGOVERNANCE PROTESTS: Police tackles Amnesty International over casualty figures as President gets ready to speak

BY ORIAKU IJELE & ANDREW OROLUA

Feelers in Kano, FCT, Rivers and Jigawa on Day 3 of the EndBadGovernance protests did not paint pleasant images indeed as renowned rights group, Amnesty International reported orchestrated suppression of the rights of Nigerians to express themselves by police agents, even as casualty figures are soaring.

But the Nigeria Police Force is refuting the allegation, prompting them on Saturday to say that only thirteen (13) persons lost their lives in the #EndbadgovernanceinNigeria protests that began on 1st August 2024.

Police said that story carried by Amnesty International in its report about incidents during the second day of the protest were false and not true.

Force spokesperson ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi said that it was also not true that security personnel deliberately employed tactics designed to kill while managing gatherings. He also said that police didn’t used firearms as a tactical tool for protest management.

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According to him, “an accurate account of incidents from the first two (2) days of the nationwide protests are as follows: “In Borno State, four (4) individuals lost their lives and thirty-four (34) were severely injured in a terrorist attack by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP elements who infiltrated the crowd of protesters and detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

“Additionally, an incident occurred involving an unregistered Honda Prelude car that ran into the protesters, resulting in the deaths of two (2) civilians. The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene.

“Although the vehicle was vandalized after the incident, it has been recovered and is currently in police custody. Efforts are ongoing to trace the driver and bring him to justice.

“There was another incident reported in Yauri, in Yauri Local Government Area of Kebbi State where a group of individuals mobilized to loot a shop. In the process, a local vigilante man shot and killed one of the looters.

“The Commissioner of Police in charge of Kebbi State is currently investigating the incident. This brings the total number of deaths recorded during the protests to seven (7).

It is important to state that there were no other recorded fatalities during the protests apart from those mentioned, he said.