The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
on Wednesday, April 15, said that Nigeria’s security agencies have
killed 18 citizens since the lockdown regulations on coronavirus
pandemic were enforced. The Cable reports that the NHRC executive
secretary, Tony Ojukwu, said the majority of the victims were killed
during attempts to enforce the coronavirus lockdown and similar
regulations. Legit.ng gathered that the federal and state governments
had locked down various parts of the country to curb the spread of
COVID-19 which has so far killed 11 persons in Nigeria.
According to the report, the lockdown has come with various human rights abuses mostly by policemen. The commission said in addition to the
reported extrajudicial killings, the security agencies have allegedly
carried out 33 incidents of torture, 27 incidents of violation of the
right to freedom of movement, and unlawful arrests, 19 incidents of
seizure of properties and 13 incidents of extortion. “There were 8
documented incidents of extra-judicial killing leading to 18 deaths. Out
of this number, 12 deaths were recorded in Kaduna state. Abia state
also recorded 2 deaths arising from 2 incidents; while Delta, Niger,
Ebonyi and the Katsina states recorded 1 death each.
“The report
further shows that out of the 18 deaths, the Nigeria correctional
service was responsible for 8 deaths while the Nigeria Police Force was
responsible for 7 deaths. The Nigeria Army, on the other hand, was
responsible for 2 deaths while the Ebonyi state Task Force on COVID-19,
Afikpo South LGA was responsible for 1 death,” the report read.
Source: LEDAP
Source: LEDAP
