The South Eastern Human Rights Situation Room, a coalition of NGOs, has expressed concern over escalating cases of human rights abuses by the security agencies in the country.
A statement signed and made available by the coordinator of the coalition working in the South East Nigeria, Prof. Ngozi Ezeilo, observed that the abuse has been on the increase since the coronavirus lockdown order.
The release also stated that there have been reported cases of extrajudicial killings, extortion, maiming, unlawful arrest, torture, and incessant intimidation of Nigerian citizens by men of Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Correctional Service, COVID-19 Task Force and men of vigilante services.
Quoting a report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), it said: “18 persons have been killed by security agencies extra-judicially in the guise of enforcing the lockdown order. This whooping figure is double the figure killed by the pandemic for which Nigerian citizens are being protected.
“In the document released, out of this number, 12 deaths were recorded in Kaduna State. Abia State also recorded 2 deaths arising from 2 incidents while Delta, Niger, Ebonyi and Katsina States recorded 1 death each, in comparison to the death of about 11 patients recorded as of 14th day of April 2020, in Nigeria.
“The report further shows that out of the 18 deaths, the Nigeria Correctional Service was responsible for 8 deaths while the Nigeria Police Force was responsible for 7 deaths. The Nigeria Army, on the other hand, was responsible for 2 deaths while the Ebonyi State Task Force on Covid-19, Afikpo South LGA was responsible for 1 death.”
Since the release of this report by the NHRC, the statement noted that the incidences of death from extra-judicial killings and other human rights violations have shot up in the South East Zone and elsewhere in Nigeria.
The release further read, “This shows that law enforcement personnel killed citizens in some states of the South Eastern states that have not even recorded any death attributable to coronavirus pandemic. This is unacceptable in a 21st century society practicing constitutional democracy.
“Of particular mention is the killing of a middle-aged man identified as Friday Arumsi at Ebem Ohafia in Ohafia L.G.A. of Abia State on Saturday 18th April, 2020 by a trigger-happy officer.
“This came barely 24 hours after a policeman on duty from one of the neighbouring states killed a resident of Aba at Uratta axis of the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway, also in Abia State.
“These developments are absurd, reprehensible, anachronistic and in contravention of all known international and regional human rights instruments, especially treaties signed and duly ratified by the Government of Nigeria.
“In a BBC report on 16th April, 2020 titled ‘Coronavirus: Security Forces kill more Nigerians than COVID-19’, the medium described NPF thus, “the Nigerians police have a bad reputation for brutality, extortion, and harassment even before the current coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown imposed to contain the virus’’.
“Thorough investigation should be carried out and perpetrators brought to book to serve as a deterrent to other officers.
“Families of the victims of human rights abuses should be adequately compensated, especially in the case of those who lost their lives.”
