EndSARS: Four years after, Amnesty Int’l sounds alarm over continued police abuses

Amnesty International Nigeria has said it continues to receive reports of human rights abuses, including unlawful detention, extortion, torture, and sexual violence by the Nigeria Police, four years after the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.

The nationwide protests, held between October 1 and 20, 2020, were organised to demand an end to police brutality, particularly by the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police.

However, the protests abruptly ended on October 20, 2020, following the loss of lives at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos after an alleged shooting by members of the Nigerian military.

In a statement issued yesterday, Amnesty International called on the Nigerian government to address ongoing human rights violations by the police, noting that these abuses continue to foster a culture of impunity and leave Nigerians vulnerable to the same violations that triggered the 2020 #EndSARS protests.

Isa Sanusi, Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said: “Amnesty International continues to receive – almost daily – reports of human rights violations by the police across Nigeria, including unlawful detention, extortion, torture, sexual violence, and, in some cases, extrajudicial executions.

“Nigerian authorities still have an opportunity to reform the police and transform it into an institution with zero tolerance for human rights violations. This opportunity must not be missed by not holding police accountable for their abuses. We are gradually returning to the horrific pre-EndSARS era, where the police acted as if they had carte blanche to violate human rights.

“The Nigerian authorities’ promises to address human rights violations by the police must be fulfilled to meet the country’s obligations under both national and international law. All atrocities committed before and after the #EndSARS protests must be thoroughly investigated, and suspected perpetrators brought to justice.”

Amnesty International also highlighted instances of extrajudicial killings by the police in the four years since the protests, underscoring the importance of fulfilling the government’s promises to address these violations.

The organisation cited specific cases, including the death of Jumoke Oyeleke, a 25-year-old salesgirl who was fatally shot by a police officer during the Yoruba Nation rally in Ojota, Lagos State, on July 3, 2021. Similarly, Mosurat Ojuade, an 18-year-old fashion designer, was shot and killed by a police officer in Lagos on September 11, 2021.

Other incidents mentioned included the shooting of Paul Durowaiye, who a police officer killed on January 22, 2022, over a dispute involving sachet water, and Oliver, who was shot dead along the Jalingo-Zing Road by a police sergeant on June 4, 2022, over a minor argument. On December 7, 2022, Gafaru Buraimoh was shot and killed by Inspector Imeh Johnson in Ajah, Lagos.

On December 25, 2022, Bolanle Raheem, a female lawyer, was fatally shot at close range by a police officer in Lagos while returning from church with her family. Additionally, on February 15, 2023, a soldier in mufti was stabbed to death by a police officer following an altercation in Ikorodu, Lagos State. On April 5, 2023, Onyeka Ibe was shot and killed for refusing to pay a N100 bribe to police officers at a stop-and-search checkpoint.

Amnesty International also referred to a leaked government memo dated July 19, 2023, addressed to the Lagos State Ministry of Health, indicating that the state government had approved over N61 million for the mass burial of 103 persons identified as victims of the #EndSARS protests in October 2020. The identities of these victims remain undisclosed, and those responsible for the killings have yet to be brought to justice through fair trials.

The organisation further noted that, of the 36 states in Nigeria, only Lagos State has made public the findings of its #EndSARS judicial panel. Furthermore, only two states—Ekiti and Osun—along with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), are known to have fully compensated survivors and relatives of victims of police brutality.

Additionally, seven states, including Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara, have yet to establish any form of judicial panel to address these issues.

This came as the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) and the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) condemned the arrest of 22 protesters who gathered to mark the anniversary of the #EndSARS protests yesterday.

The protesters had converged at the toll gate, holding banners and placards, calling for a full implementation of reports submitted by various judicial panels of inquiry set up after the 2020 protests.

Officers from Lagos State Police Command fired teargas to disperse the protesters. They arrested several of them, detaining them at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Panti, Yaba.

Among those arrested were YRC National Spokesperson Hassan Taiwo Soweto, Ilesanmi Kehinde, Uadiale Kingsley, Osopale Adeseye T., Olamilekan Sanusi, Osugba Blessing, Kayode Anaheim, Michael Adedeji, Jennifer Rita Obiora, Orunsolu Oluremi (Renyte Goonz), and Prof. Seyi Akinde.

Others were Akin Okunowon Aluta, Ugochukwu Prince, Aishat Omolara, Thomas Abiodun Olamide, Ogbu Obinna Ferdinand, Aghedo Kehinde Stephen, Duroorike Olawale, Isaac Obasi, Funmilayo Jolade Ajayi, Gideon Adeyeni, and Afeez Suleiman.

YRC National Secretary Francis Nwapa, CDWR National Chairperson Comrade Rufus Olusesan, and CDWR National Publicity Secretary Comrade Chinedu Bosah expressed dismay at the arrests, describing them as a continuation of the brutal repression that has been the standard response of the Bola Tinubu government to dissent and peaceful protests.

They urged labour movements, civil society organisations, and youth groups to remain undeterred and prepare for mass mobilisation against the government’s democratic infringements and anti-poor neoliberal policies.

The YRC and CDWR stressed that protest and dissent are not crimes and that suppression of democratic rights must end. They also likened the Tinubu-led government’s actions to the dark days of military dictatorship.

LATER yesterday, Lagos State Police Command released the protesters. This was confirmed by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who announced their release via his official X page, stating that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olanrewaju Ishola, personally oversaw the process.

Hundeyin wrote: “All protesters in our custody have been released. CP Olanrewaju Ishola was on the ground at the SCID to personally ensure this.” The reason for their arrest remains unclear. Hundeyin did not respond to inquiries, and attempts to reach him resulted in ‘busy’ signals.

In a video, some of the arrested protesters claimed they were beaten by police officers simply for assembling to honour the victims of the October 2020 protests.

Hassan Taiwo Soweto, the YRC’s National Spokesperson, also confirmed the release. He noted that the Commissioner of Police visited Panti Police Station to facilitate the protesters’ release.

Soweto recounted: “We have just been released after the Commissioner of Police came to Panti Police Station, pleading hypocritically.” Also, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the 2023 election, Omoyele Sowore, tweeted via his X handle that the protesters were arrested and beaten before they were placed in a police van.

His tweet read: “The #PoliceNG has arrested over 18 peaceful protesters at #LekkiMassacreRemembrance at #LekkiTollGate. They subjected them to serious beating and torture while being temporarily detained in their Black Maria at the toll gate. Subsequently, they were moved to the notorious SCIID station at Panti in the Yaba area of Lagos.”

An X user, identified as Frednardo da Vinci, tweeted as #obinnafrednardo and posted a video showing individuals chanting solidarity songs in a moving vehicle. He captioned it: “We have just been arrested at the Lekki Toll Gate where we marched to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the victims of #EndSARS.”

Similarly, Dr Chinonso Egemba, popularly known as Aproko Doctor, tweeted, “20.10.2020, we will never forget. We will never forget that people were killed for standing up against injustice.”

RELATEDLY, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, condemned the rising jungle justice cases across the country yesterday. He directed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) to investigate these incidents and ensure that those responsible face the full force of the law.

In a statement issued by the Force Spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, the police expressed concern over the growing menace of jungle justice, citing a recent incident in Edo State where a mob attacked a police station and burned suspects to death on October 13.

Adejobi said, “In light of the recent surge in jungle justice in some parts of the country, the Nigeria Police Force strongly condemns this dangerous and abhorrent trend. We urge the public to consider how such acts impact our criminal justice system, the rule of law, and our country’s global reputation.

“In particular, the police denounce the act of arson that led to the burning to death of some suspects in police custody, as well as the subsequent destruction of a police barracks, patrol vehicles, and the Divisional Police Station in Agenebode, Etsako East Local Council, Edo State, on Sunday, October 13, 2024.

“In this case, community members alleged that the police were attempting to obstruct justice by taking into custody suspected kidnappers and armed robbers who had reportedly terrorised the area. The primary suspect had been arrested and nearly lynched by the mob before being rescued by the police.

“The suspect’s arrest led to the capture of three additional individuals connected to the crimes. However, this intervention angered the community members, who later mobilised in large numbers, attacked the police station, killed the suspects by setting them on fire, and burned down the station and its contents.

“The community’s perception that the police intended to release the suspects was completely unfounded and unfair, as the police had no intention of obstructing justice, especially given that they had successfully apprehended three other suspects linked to the criminal activities.”

Adejobi also referred to another incident in Agege, Lagos, on October 19, where a mob attacked a driver for accidentally knocking down a motorcyclist. Tragically, one of the policemen who arrived to rescue the driver was killed by the mob.

“In another instance, a police team attempting to prevent jungle justice was viciously attacked, resulting in the death of a police officer, ASP Augustine Osupayi, who was attached to the Lagos State Command. This incident occurred on Saturday, October 19, 2024, in Agege, Lagos State.”