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“The excessive use of force by the police in response to the protests reveals the long-standing disregard for the right to life by the Nigerian security forces,” Amnesty said.
The agency said that the excessive use of force “without justifiable reasons is a crime under international law.”
“Amnesty International therefore calls for an urgent review of the use of force and firearms by the police against protesters and a thorough, independent and impartial investigation of all cases of violence, including deaths that occurred during #EndSARS protests, “Seun Bakare, Program Director. at Amnesty International Nigeria, he told CNN.
CNN contacted Nigerian police spokesman Frank Mba repeatedly for comment, but received no response.
A new tactical unit to replace the dissolved SARS will become known as Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT.
Former SARS policemen will be part of the new unit, but will undergo psychological and medical tests to make sure they are fit, according to Police Inspector General Mohammed Adamu.
“Officers are expected to undergo this process as a prelude to further training and reorientation before being reassigned to major police functions,” Adamu said.
The victim was ‘kind and humble’
One of the people who died in the protests was identified as Jimoh Isiaq, 20. He was killed by stray bullets fired at the protester. He was standing some distance from the protesting crowd in Ogbomosho, southwestern Nigeria, his family says.
“The bullet that the police fired hit his abdomen and came out through his back,” Jimoh Kazeem, Isiaq’s older brother, told CNN.
“Isiaq was very gentle and humble. I had not seen him fight with anyone before. He is one of the pillars of our family. His death is very painful,” Kazeem added.
Kazeem told CNN that Isiaq’s widow is devastated and leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter.
The family says they plan to sue Nigerian police if authorities do not investigate her murder.
“The protest was largely peaceful before the police fired that shot from the evidence we had gathered. We know that the shots were fired by policemen stationed at the Owode police station. We know the names of the officers who fired the shots. We have no shortage of evidence to prove police brutality, “Hussein Afolabi, the lawyer for Isiaq’s family, told CNN by phone.
“Three other people died in Ogbomosho (on Sunday) and we have several wounded. We talked to a lot of people on the ground. The other two are also unarmed protesters shot by the police. We have strong evidence,” Afolabi said. . “People complain about police brutality. It is in our face, it is everywhere.”
Oyo State Police spokesman Fadeyi Olugbenga denied the allegations. “The police did not shoot anyone as widely reported,” he said, in a text message in response to CNN.
Olugbenga did not respond to attempts by CNN to reach him by phone for further comment.
Another man was killed Monday in protests in a suburb of Lagos, the country’s commercial hub, where parts of the city have come to a standstill in recent days when protesters blocked main roads with their demands for police reform.
‘Police keep killing protesters’
“We will also ensure that all those responsible for misconduct or wrongful acts are brought to justice,” Buhari said, adding that “the vast majority of men and women in the police force are hard-working and diligent in the performance of their duties.” .
In other cities, there were also reports of police arresting and harassing protesters.
But protesters said verbal guarantees are not enough. They also criticize the government’s decision to deploy SARS agents in other police units, saying it exacerbates the problem.
They say their demands have now shifted from a specific ban on a particular unit to general police reform.
“Protesters are still being shot and killed and the government is talking about ending SARS. The protest has moved from ending SARS to ending police brutality in general. The government, which claims to have banned SARS, continues to kill to the protesters. This is a fluke, “said Okoye Paul, who has been part of the Lagos protest since last week.
“Redistributing is not reform. Many other police units are bad too. Reform and retraining of police officers should involve an independent body because the police cannot be the judge of their own case. We do not trust the government, on everything, to fulfill the promises. “
The protests continued Tuesday in Nigerian cities, in places like Port Harcourt, Benin City, Enugu State, all in southeastern Nigeria.
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