Nigeria: IBA and IBAHRI call on President Buhari to investigate deaths and violence amid security forces crackdown

The International Bar Association (IBA) and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) call on the Government of Nigeria, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, to establish an immediate independent investigation into the alleged killings by security forces of protestors calling for good governance and an end to police brutality in Nigeria. In addition, the IBA and IBAHRI condemn the security forces’ excessive and disproportionate use of force and live ammunition to disperse protestors.  

IBA President, Horacio Bernardes Neto said: ‘We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure Nigeria’s government instigates an urgent independent investigation, without impunity, into reports of extrajudicial killings and brutality meted out by the country’s security services against protestors. Nobody is above the law. The right to protest peacefully belongs to citizens of democratic nations across the globe and must be upheld.’

Widespread protests have ensued as tension between civilians and security forces has grown as revelations of years of unchecked violence – including alleged killings, rape, torture and  extortion – by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), have come into sharper focus.

The Nigerian government had declared a 24-hour curfew in some states on the evening of Monday 19 October that was largely defied by protesters. At the Lekki Gate in Lagos at least 12 protesters are reported to have died and hundreds to have been severely injured, in what has been dubbed the ‘Lekki Massacre’. The current death toll is reported to stand at more than 60 people since the start of the protests on 8 October 2020.

According to eyewitness reports, on 20 October 2020, Nigerian military and policemen from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) firstly removed the cameras from the Lekki toll gate, where protesters had been camped for two weeks, switched off the street lights and then opened fire on thousands of peaceful demonstrators without warning. Additionally, witnesses reported that ambulances, called to assist the wounded, were turned away by men in military uniforms and that dead bodies were removed from the scene.

The Nigerian authorities have reportedly denied there were fatalities, with the army denying responsibility, stating the soldiers were not present at the scene and labelling videos of uniformed men opening fire on demonstrations as ‘fake news’. The reported killings have been strongly condemned by the African Union, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, who described the reported events as a ‘premeditated, planned and co-ordinated’ attack on peaceful protestors.

IBA Director, Dr Mark Ellis, stated: ‘At a time of global rejection of excessive and lethal policing methods, the situation in Nigeria is especially disturbing. The security forces of any nation are meant to protect civilians, not terrorise them. The wanton infringement of international standards, including the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, must cease. It is essential that the rule of law be exercised by bringing perpetrators to justice and setting a new precedent of police accountability, in order to secure the rights of civilians.’

Protestors have demanded the immediate release of all arrested protesters; justice for all deceased victims of brutality; appropriate compensation for the families of the deceased; psychological evaluations and retraining of all disbanded SARS officers, prior to being redeployed; and an increase in police salary so they are sufficiently compensated for protecting the lives and property of citizens without resorting to bribes and extortion.

IBAHRI Co-Chair and immediate past Secretary-General of the Swedish Bar Association, Anne Ramberg Dr Jur hc, commented: ‘It is imperative that the Nigerian authorities engage with the will of the people in their call for police reform and rights’ protection. We call on Nigeria to uphold its international obligations including its citizens’ rights to security, dignity, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, as provided under Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Further, we call for an immediate, independent and transparent investigation into the killings and for the perpetrators to be held to account. Culprits guilty of crimes against civilians must be brought to justice, and the underlying issue of persistent violations by security forces and army personnel must be dealt with urgently and decisively.’

ENDS

Notes to the Editor

1. The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, it was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world's bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.
2. The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), an autonomous and financially independent entity, works to promote, protect and enforce human rights under a just rule of law, and to preserve the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession worldwide.

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