The Nigeria Police Force has strongly refuted allegations made by Amnesty International in its recent report, “Bloody August: Nigeria Government’s Violent Crackdown on #EndBadGovernance Protests.” The report, published on November 28, 2024, accused the police of carrying out extrajudicial killings during protests between August 1-10, 2024, and claimed that at least 24 people were killed in six northern states.
In a detailed press briefing on Sunday, police spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi vehemently rejected the allegations, stating that they were false, misleading, and damaging to the Force’s reputation. Adejobi announced that a special investigative panel, in collaboration with Commissioners of Police from the affected states, had conducted thorough investigations which disproved Amnesty International’s claims. The panel’s findings, he said, highlighted major inaccuracies in the report.
“We advise Amnesty International to review its reporting methodology, ensuring that its reports are based on accurate facts. International organizations must be transparent and adhere to standards of fair and honest reporting on matters affecting national security and public safety,” Adejobi said.
The police also revealed plans to formally demand a retraction of the report, along with a public apology, due to what they termed “frequent false reporting” by the organization on Nigerian law enforcement activities.
Addressing specific allegations, Adejobi clarified that in Borno State, protests were marked by violent looting and destruction, including the vandalization of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Skill Acquisition Centre and the World Food Programme warehouse. He firmly rejected claims that police had thrown grenades into a filling station, causing the deaths of three people, describing it as a “blatant falsehood.”
In Niger State, police investigations found no evidence to support the claim that three individuals were killed in Suleja during protests. Similarly, the alleged killing of a 21-year-old in Katsina was also debunked, with local sources confirming no such incident took place. Adejobi added that there were no protests or police killings in Kaduna on October 1, 2024, as claimed by Amnesty, and investigations revealed that an incident involving the Nigerian Army was the actual cause of reported fatalities.
In Jigawa, Amnesty’s report on the deaths of two women and a man during protests was contradicted by police findings, which suggested that only one person had died, and that fatality was due to protester violence, not police action. In Kano, the police disputed reports of 12 deaths caused by police forces, explaining that the fatalities resulted from clashes between looters and criminals, rather than any police involvement.
The Nigeria Police Force reiterated its commitment to protecting the rights of citizens and maintaining national security, urging the public to be cautious of sensational reports that could damage trust in law enforcement agencies.
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