Nigeria: Rights Groups Seek Justice for Protesters

By Development Diaries
October 23, 2020

A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to prosecute the soldiers that killed unarmed #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Tollgate Plaza in Lagos, southwest Nigeria.

The coalition including the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Enough is Enough (EIE), Partners for Electoral Reform, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Centre for Information, Technology and Development (CITAD), Yiaga Africa, and BudgIT.

At least seven people were killed, with many injured , according to witnesses who said they were shot at by soldiers.

But the Nigerian army has denied attacking the protesters.

The CSOs in a joint statement also urged the National Assembly to hold an emergency session to deliberate on the Lekki Tollgate incident.

They called for a national public hearing to investigate the abuse of power by the security forces and also their failure to arrest hoodlums and thugs who attacked peaceful protesters.

‘We, the undersigned coalition of civil society organisations, are deeply shocked by the killing of peaceful protesters across Nigeria yesterday [20 October]’, the statement read.

‘The attempt to fight for justice over police brutality has again revealed the brutal nature of the Nigerian state.

‘At the last count, not less than 40 Nigerians have lost their lives as a result of violent attempts to crack down or disrupt the ongoing protests against police brutality.

‘We, therefore, strongly condemn the needless loss of the lives of young Nigerians as a result of the blatant refusal to heed warnings that the government should not call in the military to quell a protest by citizens demanding police reforms and good governance’.

Protests, with hashtag #EndSARS, were triggered by the alleged killing of a young man by operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Lagos on 03 October.

SARS, which was specifically set up to fight robbery and kidnapping, has long been accused of harassment, unlawful arrests, torture and killings.

The police unit has been dissolved but protesters are demanding a complete reform of the police force, and prosecution of erring police officers.