Three years after the violent suppression of the nationwide #EndSARS protests aimed at ending police brutality in Nigeria, a shocking revelation has emerged. At least fifteen protesters arrested during the 2020 demonstrations are still being arbitrarily detained, with the majority of them languishing in prison without trial. The detainees are being held at the Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre and Ikoyi Medium Security Correctional Centre in Lagos.
Nigerian authorities have reportedly filed trumped-up charges against the detained protesters, including theft, arson, possession of unlawful firearms, and even murder. Additionally, some of these detainees have alleged that they have been subjected to torture during their imprisonment.
Isa Sanusi, the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, expressed his grave concern over the situation, saying, “Our investigation shows the Nigerian authorities’ utter disdain for human rights. Three years in detention without trial is a travesty of justice. This shows the authorities’ contempt for due process of law. The protesters must be immediately and unconditionally released.”
The issue of torture in detention is also deeply troubling. Many peaceful #EndSARS protesters have reported experiencing torture and ill-treatment while in custody since 2020. Oluwole Isa, currently held in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre, detailed his horrifying experience of torture in the custody of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) facility in Ikeja: “I was tied with a rope. They bent me backward and tied my hands and legs together at my back. An iron rod was passed in-between my tied legs and hands. With the iron rod, I was suspended on an iron bar. Then, they started beating me with a machete and wooden batons. They were forcing me to admit that I was involved in vandalism during the #EndSARS protests. When I could not bear the torture anymore, I told Inspector that I would confess. At that point, I was almost going to die. He brought me down; I still have the scar of the machete cut on my throat…”
Despite promises of comprehensive police reforms following the #EndSARS protests, Nigeria’s police continue to commit violations of human rights, including extrajudicial killings, harassment, arbitrary detention, and extortion, often with impunity, as per Amnesty International Nigeria.
In the past year alone, Amnesty International has documented the unlawful killing of at least six individuals by law enforcement officers. These cases include Gafaru Buraimoh, who was killed in Lagos on December 6, 2022, and Onyeka Ibe, who was killed on April 5, 2023, in Delta state for refusing to pay a N100 bribe. Other cases include Faiz Abdullahi, who died in police custody in Kaduna on July 30, 2023, following torture during interrogation, and 17-year-old student Abdullahi Tukur Abba, who died in a hospital after allegedly being tortured in police custody in Yola, Adamawa state, on August 5, 2023.
Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, lamented the resurgence of police brutality in the country, stating, “Any changes that followed the #EndSARS protests are fast disappearing, as police brutality is again becoming a daily part of life for people across Nigeria. The recent cases of extrajudicial killings and extortion show that the police are not ready to conduct their duties in compliance with international human rights standards. Reforming the Nigeria police force will continue to be a distant dream if impunity remains part of policing operations.”
In light of these troubling developments, Amnesty International calls upon the Nigerian authorities to take concrete and effective measures to end police impunity, including providing clear directives to the police to respect human rights. Those suspected of violating human rights should be brought to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty, and genuine reforms must be initiated to put an end to widespread human rights violations by the police. Nigeria has an obligation to ensure that torture and other ill-treatment are not carried out under any circumstances.
