The Nigeria Police Force has revealed plans to write to demand a retraction of Amnesty International’s report on the #EndBadGovernance protests in the country.
Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, Force Spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi added that the police would demand a public apology over the report.
Dated November 28, 2024, and titled “Bloody August: Nigeria Government’s Violent Crackdown on #EndBadGovernance Protests,” the report accused the police of extrajudicial killings during the protests.
It also claimed that at least 24 people were killed in six northern states of the country.
While addressing pressmen, Adejobi disclosed that a special investigative panel had been constituted to verify the claims.
“Amnesty International is advised to reflect on its frequent false reporting on Nigeria’s law enforcement activities and ensure its reports are accurate and contain a true and fair representation of events affecting national security and public safety. Accurate reporting of facts is essential to the integrity of any international organisation, and Amnesty International should not be an exception.
“The Nigeria Police Force will, in due course, write to Amnesty International to demand the retraction of this report from the public domain along with a public apology.
“The Nigeria Police Force remains resolute in protecting the rights of all citizens while ensuring the security and stability of the nation.
“We, therefore, urge the public to be wary of sensational reports designed to incite mistrust and weaken confidence in law enforcement institutions,” Adejobi stated.
“In Borno State, it was established that the protesters were violent, engaging in widespread looting, pillaging, and wanton destruction of public and private property.
“For example, the Skill Acquisition Centre of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees was looted and vandalised.
“The warehouse of the World Food Programme, located on Baga/Maimalari Barracks Road, Maiduguri, was also looted, with several items belonging to the international organisation destroyed and stolen by some of the protesters.
“Therefore, the claims by Amnesty International that the police threw a hand grenade from a convoy of vehicles into a filling station killing three persons is a blatant falsehood and leaves right-thinking members of society dismayed at this reported falsehood by an international agency that ought to act in accordance with international norms and standards of fair and honest reporting of human rights violations in the country,” he added.