NIGERIA POLICE FORCE DEBUNKS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CLAIMS


MEDIA BRIEFING BY THE FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI, ON THE REPORT OF INVESTIGATION INTO AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CLAIMS ON THE AUGUST 2024 #ENDBADGOVERNANCE PROTESTS HELD ON 22ND DECEMBER, 2024 AT THE FORCE HEADQUARTERS, ABUJA



Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Fourth Estate,


Recall that Amnesty International, on the 28th of November 2024, released a report titled "Bloody August: Nigeria Government’s Violent Crackdown on #EndBadGovernance Protests," where several allegations were made against the Nigeria Police, including the killing of at least twenty-four (24) persons in six northern states during the protests.


The claims made by Amnesty International in this report were at variance with the records available to the Nigeria Police. All recorded incidents of violence during the protests were documented by the police in all 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). These records are available at both the Department of Operations and the Department of Research and Planning of the Nigeria Police Force. It is, therefore, surprising to see in Amnesty International’s report such unfounded claims that contradicted what was actually recorded during the protests.


Notwithstanding, the Inspector-General of Police, in response to the allegations contained in the report, directed a comprehensive and independent investigation into these claims. To this end, a special investigation panel was immediately constituted and given a deadline to submit its findings. The IGP also mandated Commissioners of Police in the states mentioned in the report to verify the allegations as they pertain to their states and to submit additional reports on the incidents.


Following these directives, the Commissioners of Police in the affected states conducted extensive inquiries in their localities and submitted their findings to the Inspector-General of Police. Copies of these findings were sent to the special investigation panel. Furthermore, members of the panel visited the affected states and areas mentioned in the report, compiling their findings in a comprehensive document submitted to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, FSSP, NEAPS. This report forms the crux of today’s briefing, where I will present detailed investigation report addressing the wide-ranging allegations made against the police in Amnesty International’s report.


Verified Findings:

1. BORNO STATE:

In Borno State, it was established that the protesters were violent, engaging in widespread looting, pillaging, and wanton destruction of public and private property. For example, the Skill Acquisition Centre of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) was looted and vandalized. The warehouse of the World Food Programme, located on Baga/Maimalari Barracks Road, Maiduguri, was also looted, with several items belonging to the international organization destroyed and stolen by some of the protesters.


Of particular interest is the reported death of three fuel attendants at A.A Kime Filling Station—Nasiru Mustapha (26), Amodu Garba Maina (24), and Momodi Hassan. Amnesty International claimed on pages 22 and 25 of its report that these three individuals died when a hand grenade was thrown into the filling station by a convoy of police vehicles. These allegations are not only false and misleading but are also a clear attempt to incite the general public against the police and tarnish the image of the Nigeria Police Force in the eyes of the international community.


For the record, the Nigeria Police does not possess or utilize explosive hand grenades in its operations. Explosive hand grenades have never been purchased, issued, or utilized by the Nigeria Police Force since its establishment as a law enforcement agency. How and where Amnesty International obtained such information can only be speculated upon by mischievous minds…


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