Amnesty International has condemned the killing of 13 protesters allegedly by security personnel across Nigeria.
The Country Director, Isa Sanusi, in a statement on Friday, said, the Nigerian authorities must investigate the incidents impartially and effectively and ensure that security personnel suspected of responsibility for the alleged deadly use of force are held to account through fair trial.
The organisation noted the situations in Suleja, Niger State, where six persons were killed and dozens wounded; Maiduguri, where four persons were killed; and Kaduna, where three other persons were killed.
Amnesty International also expressed concern over the Nigerian authorities’ “growing hostility to dissent” and the “relentless repression of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly”.
“Our findings, so far, show that security personnel at the locations where lives were lost deliberately used tactics designed to kill while dealing with gatherings of people protesting hunger and deep poverty,” the statement read.
The organisation called on the Nigerian government to take concrete steps to address the impact of recent reforms on economic, social and cultural rights, including people’s rights to health and education.
“All those arrested for taking part in the protest must be released immediately and unconditionally. Authorities must also end the rampant violations of the people’s rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.”