PROTEST: Nigerian Police releases record of incidences …Cautions Amnesty International on Releasing Unconfirmed Figures, Reports

 

The Nigeria Police Force finds it necessary to refute a recent report publicized by Amnesty International, which claims that thirteen (13) individuals have lost their lives due to the protests in Nigeria that began on 1st August 2024.

Amnesty International further alleges that security personnel deliberately employed tactics designed to kill while managing gatherings and used firearms as a tactical tool for protest management.

 

The Nigeria Police Force in a release issued to newsmen says it was providing an accurate account of incidents from the first two days of the nationwide protests.

In Borno State, according to the police, four individuals lost their lives and thirty-four were severely injured in a terrorist attack by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP elements who infiltrated the crowd of protesters and detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

The police recorded another incident involving an unregistered Honda Prelude car that ran into the protesters, resulting in the deaths of two civilians.

According to reports, the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene.

Although the vehicle was vandalized after the incident, police say it has been recovered and is currently in police custody.

The police say efforts are ongoing to trace the driver and bring him to justice.

 

The statement records another incident reported in Yauri, in Yauri Local Government Area of Kebbi State where a group of individuals mobilized to loot a shop.

In the process, a local vigilante man shot and killed one of the looters.

The Commissioner of Police in charge of Kebbi State reports say is currently investigating the incident.

This brings the total number of deaths recorded during the protests to seven.

 

In the release signed by ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force Public Relations Officee, he noted that there were no other recorded fatalities during the protests apart from those mentioned earlier.

 

Though he says however, that there have been incidences of armed robbery, arson, mischief, looting of public institutions and private businesses, destructions of both public and private property recorded during the protest.

Adejobi reveals that arrests have been made with respect to the criminal incidences and a number of recoveries made from the suspects while the protest was going on.

 

The police spokesman said Police personnel deployed to manage the protests have acted professionally, refraining from using lethal weapons.

He acknowledged that in instances where protesters became riotous, the police employed teargas to disperse them.

He also insists that even when officers on lawful duty were attacked and injured, the police effected arrests using only teargas, demonstrating utmost restraint.

He said nine police officers sustained various degrees of injuries during attacks by protesters, with one of them who initially was reported dead, miraculously surviving but remains in critical condition.

While reestablishing that the ongoing protest has turned violent, Adejobi advised law abiding citizens taking part in the protest across the country to immediately withdraw from it.

He said the advice becomes necessary in view of the violence that has characterized the protest in the last two days.

While noting that the Nigeria Police Force is committed to providing accurate information and ensuring the safety and security of all citizens during these challenging times, he said it is essential to recognize that the strategic deployment by the Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with other security agencies, and the decisive clampdown on criminal elements exploiting the protests for unlawful activities, has been highly effective in quelling tension and curbing the violence and anarchy witnessed on the first day of the protests.

 

He further stated that during this challenging period, the Nigeria Police Force reaffirms its commitment to performing its lawful duties with professionalism, maintaining law and order, and preventing anarchy throughout the country.

He urged all citizens and residents to disregard unfounded and psychologically manipulative reports circulating about incidents during these protests.