Human Rights Groups React as Amnesty Report Exposes Latest Crackdown on Protesters in Nigeria

Over 24 people died, and security authorities detained more than 1,200 following the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests that rocked Nigeria in August this year, Amnesty International disclosed in its recent report titled: “Bloody August: Nigerian Government’s Violent Crackdown on #EndBadGovernance Protesters”.

The report details how peaceful demonstrations across multiple states were met with deadly force. Many of the victims, including children, were killed by close-range gunfire, often targeting their heads and torsos—a grim hallmark of what Amnesty described as a “shoot-to-kill” approach.

The 10-day nationwide protest, fuelled by growing frustration over economic hardships and governance failures, among other reasons, was held in several states in the country. Amnesty International, through testimonials and visual evidence, revealed that most of the casualties were concentrated in northern Nigeria, with Kano recording the highest death toll, followed by Katsina, Jigawa, Kaduna, Niger, and Borno.

“The victims recorded include 20 young persons [3 females and 17 males], one older person, and two children,” the report stated. “For each of the 24 deaths, Amnesty International has been able to gather credible information indicating the place, the circumstances of the deaths recorded, and their exact or approximate date.”

A detailed breakdown of the casualties reveals that out of the 12 people killed in Kano, four were shot in the stomach, two in the neck, two in the head, one in the leg, one in the lap, and one in both the stomach and leg, while details of the last victim were unspecified.

In Jigawa, three people lost their lives: two were shot in the head and one in the waist. In Katsina, a single fatality was reported, with gunshot wounds to the back and stomach.

In Minna, Niger State, three deaths were recorded—one from a gunshot to the head and two with unspecified wound locations. Similarly, three fatalities in Borno had no details about the positions of the gunshot wounds.

Kaduna saw two deaths, with one victim shot in the chest and the other in the stomach.

Despite mounting evidence, Nigerian police have denied responsibility, claiming that officers acted “professionally and refrained from using lethal weapons.”

Amnesty International’s Country Director in Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, condemned the authorities’ response, stating that the lack of transparent investigations perpetuates a culture of impunity.

Sanusi stressed that the crackdown not only violated international human rights standards but also showcased an entrenched culture of impunity.

A pattern of brutality

The events of August echo a familiar pattern of state repression in Nigeria. From the 2020 #EndSARS protests against police brutality to the 2018 massacre of Islamic Movement of Nigeria members during a peaceful procession in Abuja, Nigerian security forces have repeatedly responded to dissent with deadly force.

More recently, protests like #NorthIsBleeding, which highlighted insecurity in northern Nigeria, faced similar violent clampdowns. Human rights groups say these incidents demonstrate a systemic failure to uphold constitutional freedoms.

Although international and domestic laws, including the 1999 Constitution as amended, guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association, the Nigerian government has been found to violate these protections repeatedly.

Human rights experts argue that the country’s records for human rights violations are abysmal, and the justice system is compromised. 

Police officers who are meant to protect the lives of citizens, in addition to their duties in preventing crimes, among other things, are now at the front line in the violation of human rights, says Abba Hikima, a human rights lawyer. 

Hikima told HumAngle that the wanton disregard for human rights by security operatives has put the country in a negative light on a global scale. “Looking at how things have ensued before now and how difficult it is to enforce judgment against the police, coupled with their recklessness, it will be very unrealistic to say anything different will come out of this. This is not the first time Amnesty is nailing the police, and this is not the first time the police is doing nothing,” he noted.

Emmanuel Onwubiko, the National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), added that successive governments have entrenched this culture of repression. “Until citizens are allowed to enjoy their fundamental rights as enshrined in the constitution, justice in Nigeria will always be delayed and, in most cases, ignored,” Onwubiko added. 

Calls for action

The Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) has called for the suspension of Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to allow for an independent investigation into the police’s actions. 

Francis Nwapa, the National Secretary of the human rights group, noted that the Amnesty report had indicted the police. “We hereby reject the in-house probe ordered by the IGP as an attempt to cover up the issue,” he said. 

“To this extent, we call for the setting up of an independent probe panel, democratically constituted by the elected representative of the civil society groups like the media, trade unions and youth associations to investigate the various allegations against the police and other security agencies,” Nwapa added. 

He alleged that during the August protests, state-sponsored thugs attacked innocent protesters in Lagos and other parts of the country while the police turned a blind eye.

“They made no attempt to arrest these thugs; instead, they went after peaceful protesters. This shows the disparity in treatment between law-abiding citizens and state-sponsored thugs,” he noted.

The group also called for the immediate release of detained protesters, the dismissal of charges against them, and compensation for the victims and their families.

While Amnesty’s report is the latest in a series of damning accounts of Nigeria’s human rights record, it reinforces the urgent need for systemic reforms in the country’s governance and security apparatus. Without accountability, experts warn, the cycle of repression will continue to undermine Nigeria’s democracy and global reputation.