Police Must End Harassment of Amnesty Int’l Over #EndBadGovernance Report – SERAP

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has asked President Bola Tinubu to direct the Nigeria Police Force under the leadership of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately end its harassment of global human rights body, Amnesty International over the organisation’s report on police killing of August 2024 nationwide #EndBadGovernance protesters.

The SERAP made the demand on Tuesday while reacting to the police’s demand that Amnesty International should tender a public apology and retract its report on the allegations that its officers killed no few- er than 24 protesters during the #EndBadGovernance protests.

“We urge President Tinubu to direct the police to immediately end their harassment and threat against Amnesty International in Nigeria solely for defending the rights of Nigerians,” SERAP said on its social media page on Tuesday.

It was earlier reported that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) refuted allegations of brutality and excessive violence during the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests, demanding a retraction and public apology from Amnesty International, a global human rights body.

The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Tuesday, revealed that the NPF sent a letter dated 6 January 2025 to the Amnesty International, condemning its publication titled “Bloody August: Nigeria Government’s Violent Crackdown on End Bad Governance Protests.” Adejobi stated, “Upon careful review and investigation, the NPF categorically rejects these base- less allegations, affirming that the claims are entirely false and without foundation.”

But SERAP insisted, “The threat shows an escalating crack- down on civic space in the country.” Amnesty International had claimed that police used live ammunition at close range, killing at least 24 people during the protests in Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, and Niger states