Amnesty: Nigerian Police Killed 24 Protesters in Kano, Katsina, Jigawa
Amnesty International Nigeria has accused the Nigerian police of killing at least 24 people, including children and the elderly, during protests held across several northern states between August 1 and 10, 2024.
The protests were organized by Nigerians expressing frustration over economic hardship and hunger.
In a statement released Saturday via its verified social media handles, Amnesty International Nigeria said the deaths occurred in Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, and Niger states.
“When Nigerians took to the streets peacefully protesting economic hardship and widespread hunger between 1–10 August 2024, Nigerian police killed at least 24 people in the states of: Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa and Niger,” the group said.
Among those killed were 20 young people, an older person, and two children. Amnesty International said all the victims were shot by the police with live ammunition at close range, often targeting the head or torso.
In Kano State, 12 people were reported killed in the Rijiyar Lemo and Kofar Nasarawa areas. In Jigawa, three were killed in Hadejia, while Katsina recorded one death at Kofar Sauri. A minor was reportedly shot by a soldier in Zaria, Kaduna State, and another protester was killed in Kaduna town.
In Maiduguri, Borno State, three protesters were shot at A.A. Kime Filling Station at Bolori Junction. In Niger State, at least three people were killed along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.
Eyewitnesses in Kano, Dutse, Katsina, and Minna told Amnesty International that the protests were peaceful on August 1 until security operatives began shooting at demonstrators.
“Eyewitnesses told Amnesty International in Kano, Dutse, Katsina, and Minna that the protests were largely peaceful when they began in the morning of 1 August, but the mood abruptly changed when police attacked the protesters by firing live ammunition and tear gas,” the organization stated.
Amnesty International criticized the federal government for not investigating the deaths.
“Nigerian government had failed to investigate these unlawful killings in utter disregard for the sanctity of life and impunity,” it declared.
The group called for accountability, justice for the victims and their families, and an end to what it described as a pattern of violence by security forces.
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