At least 467 Nigerians lost their lives in four states – Kaduna, Benue, Katsina, and Plateau – between July and August 2024, according to a disturbing report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The Commission also revealed that over 1,200 #EndBadGovernance protesters have been arrested and detained by security agencies across the country.
Presenting the July and August 2024 human rights situation in Nigeria on Friday, Hillary Ogbona, Senior Human Rights Adviser to the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, expressed grave concern over the alarming rate of human rights abuses.
“A total of 414,200 complaints against human rights abuses were received by the Commission across the country in the last two months,” Ogbona said.
The NHRC report highlighted the breakdown of killings in the four states: 142 in Kaduna, 137 in Benue, 112 in Katsina, and 76 in Plateau State. Ogbona emphasized that protest is not a crime in Nigeria but a legitimate way of expressing grievances against unfavourable government policies and programmes.
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“Government should not attempt to stop protest but to guide it. At the same time, the government should not lump genuine protesters with criminals,” Ogbona stated. He also appealed to the government to adopt a human rights approach to lawful protests and to identify and evaluate the losses of victims for the purpose of supporting them.
The NHRC specifically pleaded with the Federal Government to learn how to manage protests as lawful ways for aggrieved Nigerians to state their positions, warning that failure to do so may lead to anarchy in the country.
Ogbona noted that the Commission was monitoring the prosecution of protesters in court and cautioned the government to ensure that allegations are based on clear intelligence and facts, especially in cases where protesters are charged with treason.
The report also highlighted an astronomical increase in mass killings, abductions, attacks on police stations, attacks on press freedom, violation of the rights of association and assembly, killing of law enforcement and members of the Armed Forces, cases of violence against children, minors, and child abandonment.
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