11 People Killed By Police And Other Government Security Outfits During Lockdown

The National Human Rights Commission said on Sunday 11 persons were killed extra-judicially by the men of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and others during the second phase of the lockdown imposed by the government to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The figure adds to the 18 extra-judicial killings the commission had stated occurred during the first phase of the lockdown to make 29 of such deaths in the five-week period.

The executive summary of the latest report of the NHRC covering the period of the second phase of the lockdown, spanning from April 13 to May 4, 2020, was released by the Executive Secretary of the commission, Mr Tony Ojukwu.

Ojukwu stated that the commission received 104 human rights violation complaints during the second phase of the lockdown, which was one less than the 105 complaints received by the commission during the first phase of the lockdown from March 30 to April 13.

He said the commission received the 104 complaints from 27 out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, namely Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Kano, Jigawa, Cross Rivers, Ebonyi, Edo, and Enugu.

Others are Ekiti, Delta, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Borno, Bayelsa, kogi, Benue, Anambra, Kaduna, Gombe, Zamfara and Rivers states.

According to him, forms of rights violation complaints received by the commission included extra-judicial killings, violation of right to freedom of movement, unlawful arrest and detention, seizure/confiscation of properties, sexual and gender-based violence, torture, inhumane and degrading treatment and extortion.

He said of the 11 documented incidents of extra-judicial killing, four were recorded in Abia State, two in Delta State, one in each of the five states of Niger, Jigawa, Lagos, Anambra and Rivers.

“The report further shows that out of the 11 deaths, the Nigeria Police Force was responsible for seven deaths, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, non-state actors and the Abia State Task Force on COVID-19 were responsible for one death each.

“Investigation was still ongoing as of the time of the report to unravel the perpetrator of the extra-judicial killing that occurred in Jigawa State.”

The commission commended all law enforcement officers “who have shown restraint and professionalism in the face of provocation by members of the public during the lockdown”.