By Abiola Olawale
Following the 100 days anniversary of reported cases of shootings which happened at Lekki tollgate during the #EndSARS protest, Amnesty International Nigeria (AIN), an arm of Amnesty International (AI), has said the Nigerian government has failed the alleged victims of the attack by not bringing suspected offenders of the action to book.
The international organization while commiserating with families that lost their loved ones during the incidents that happened at lekki tollgate on 20th of October 2020, regretted that 100 days after the alleged killings, the government hasn’t arrested the perpetrators of the acts in order to bring them to justice.
The international organization which took to its Twitter account to express concerns on the actions and inactions of the government concerning reported cases of police brutality, urged the government to rise up to the occasion.
According to the human rights organization, actions such as police brutality and other forms of alleged harassment by the Police are still being perpetrated despite the #EndSARS protest that happened last October.
The organization in its statement stated thus; “Nigerian government failed to bring to justice those suspected to be responsibly for the brutal crackdown by the security forces on peaceful #EndSARS protesters at Lekki tollgate and Alausa in Lagos in October 2020 and have brazenly attempted to cover up the violence. Since the assault by the security forces, which killed at least 12 people, Nigerian authorities have targeted supporters of the protests against police brutality by the disbanded SARS.
“Some of the movement’s supporters have had their bank account frozen. The bloody events of 20 October 2020, when Nigerian security forces killed at least 12 people during the violent dispersal of peaceful #ENDSARS protesters at Lekki and Alausa, have cast a shadow over Nigerian society that lingers to this day. #Lekki100days @MBuhari @ ProfOsinbajo.”
It would be recalled that some Nigerian youths took to the streets last October to protest what they called excessive use of force by the Nigeria Police Force(NPF), under the auspices of a campaign called #EndSARS.
The youths who mounted public protests against police brutality and other alleged forms of harassment reportedly being perpetrated by the police, had lamented the state of police brutality in the country.
However, the protest came to an end on the 20th of October, 2020. The Lagos state government and the Nigerian Army have been blamed for alleged reports of brutalities recorded during the protests at Lekki tollgate.
It would also be recalled that Amnesty International is an organization that campaigns for the rights of individuals across the globe. The organization which was founded in London, 1961 seeks to draw public attention to human rights abuses as well as campaign for compliance with international laws, standards and protocols in various jurisdictions.
