Amnesty International has said Nigerian authorities have failed to hold anyone accountable one year after police violently cracked down on peaceful #EndBadGovernance protests across northern Nigeria, killing at least 24 demonstrators.
In a statement issued Friday, the human rights organisation condemned the “utter disregard for human rights” by the government of President Bola Tinubu, noting that the violent response to protests in August 2024 continues to cast a long shadow over the country’s civic space.
“The Nigerian authorities have yet to take appropriate and effective measures to respect, protect, promote, and fulfil the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.
According to the report, the Nigerian police shot protesters at close range between 1 and 10 August 2024 in Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Borno, Niger and Kaduna states. Victims were reportedly targeted in the head and torso — clear indications of a shoot-to-kill policy. Some survivors were also tortured in detention, including minors who reportedly collapsed in court due to starvation and abuse.
Despite the gravity of these violations, Amnesty said not a single security operative has been prosecuted.
In Maiduguri, seven young protesters — including minors aged 14 to 17 — were convicted in what Amnesty described as sham trials. While the children received corporal punishment and community service, adults were sentenced to five years in prison over allegations that they formed a protest group on WhatsApp “to take up arms against the government.”
Protesters in Abuja, including Michael Tobiloba Adaramoye (aka Lenin), Angel Love Innocent (aka Loveth), and others, continue to face trials on what Amnesty described as “bogus” charges such as inciting mutiny, calling for a military takeover, and “levying war against the state.”
Amnesty’s findings underscore growing concerns about shrinking civic space, arbitrary arrests, censorship, and the misuse of security agencies to suppress dissent in Nigeria.
“What happened from 1–10 August 2024 is a clear demonstration of the Nigerian government’s unwillingness to uphold its human rights obligations,” Mr Sanusi said. “Failing to hold the police to account only emboldens further abuses.”
The Amnesty called for immediate prosecution of officers responsible for extrajudicial killings and torture and urged the government to end the harassment of peaceful protesters and respect the right to freedom of assembly.
