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15 killed since start of anti-police brutality protests in Nigeria: Amnesty

Monday, 19 October 2020 6:55 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 19 October 2020 6:55 PM ]

The Nigerian police fire tear gas at protesters during a demonstration in Abuja on October 19, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

Amnesty International says 15 people have been killed since protests against police brutality erupted in Nigeria.

Isa Sanusi with the UK-based rights group said one person died in the northern city of Kano on Monday, while four others died in the capital Abuja, Benin City, and Osogbo over the weekend.

The rights group had earlier reported a death toll of 10.

Amnesty also warned of rising violence against peaceful protests in Lagos and the capital.

“We have documented escalating violence and coordinated attacks against peaceful #EndSars protesters, leading to casualties in Benin, Abuja, Jos, Oshogbo,” Amnesty said on Monday.

In Abuja, tensions were high Sunday after protesters said they were attacked by suspected hired thugs.

The governor of Osun state said thugs attacked his convoy on Saturday as he attended a protest in the state capital Osogbo.

Youths took to the streets again in Nigeria’s largest cities on Monday, their major grievance being police brutality. They want disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a policing unit accused of extrajudicial killings, extortion and torture. Earlier this week, authorities dissolved the SARS but replaced it with a new tactical team known as Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT).

In Lagos, home to 20 million people, thousands of people were on the streets again, bringing the economic hub to a standstill.

Police said one of their facilities was attacked by “persons posing as #EndSARS protesters” in Benin.

Nigerian army threatens action as protests continue against police brutality

The Nigerian military issues a warning as protests sweep across the West African country over years of recurring police brutality.

The Nigerian police have also maintained a heavy-handed crackdown on peaceful protests by the country’s Shia Muslims.

The demonstrators have been calling for the release of top cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has been in detention since December 2015 after his residence in the city of Zaria was raided by Nigerian forces, during which he was beaten and lost vision in his left eye. Three of his sons were also killed, his wife sustained serious wounds, and more than 300 of his followers lost their lives.

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