NHRC: 467 Nigerians Killed in Benue, Three Others in Two Months, 1,200 Protesters Arrested

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has disclosed that about 467 Nigerians were killed in four states of Benue, Kaduna, Katsina and Plateau between July and August 2024.
This is just as it also said that about 1,200 #EndBadGovernance protesters have so far been arrested and detained by security agencies across the country.
NHRC insisted that in charging the protesters with treason, the government must make its intelligence and facts clear on the weighty allegations.
In the report on human rights abuses for July and August 2024 presented yesterday in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Prof. Tony Ojukwu (SAN), condemned what he described as the “use of brutal force” by security agents against the protesters in August.

The NHRC stressed that protest was not a crime in Nigeria but a legitimate way of expressing grievances against unfavourable government’s policies and programmes.
The commission noted that the #EndBadGovernance protest was the people’s quest for good governance, and therefore urged the government to adopt a sustainable action in ensuring the protection of the people affected by displacement.
It noted that while some of the protesters were charged to court, the majority of those arrested were detained beyond the period permitted by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) before they were charged to court.

Giving a breakdown of the figures of people killed in the four affected states, Ogbona said between July and August, Kaduna State recorded 142 killings, followed by Benue with 137, while Katsina and Plateau recorded 112 and 76 killings, respectively.
The commission further said: “Government should not attempt to stop protest but to guide it. At the same time, the government should not lump genuine protesters with criminals.

“Looting and destruction of private and public properties are not protests but acts of criminalities, which should not be regarded as part of peaceful protests.
“From this side, it is a fact that private and public properties were looted during the last protest and we hereby appeal to the government to identify and evaluate the losses of victims for the purpose of supporting them as some of the victims may not be able to rise again,” it said.

The NHRC appealed to the federal government to adopt a human rights approach to lawful protests, adding that the government should endeavour to look into the root causes of protests in the country, which may not be far from economic and political situations being faced by the people.
The commission called on the federal government to learn how to manage protests as lawful ways for aggrieved Nigerians to state their positions so as to avoid anarchy in the country.

The NHRC said it would be monitoring the prosecution of the protesters in court.
The commission also added that it had in the last two months, witnessed astronomical increase in mass killings, abductions, attacks on police stations, attacks on press freedom, violation of the rights of association and assembly, killing of law enforcement officers and members of the Armed Forces, cases of violence against children, minors and child abandonment.

Presenting the report, Senior Human Rights Adviser to the Executive Secretary of the commission, Mr. Hillary Ogbona, said 414,200 complaints of human rights abuses were received by the commission across the country in the last two months.
Giving a breakdown of the figures of people killed in the four affected states, Ogbona said between July and August, Kaduna State recorded 142 killings, followed by Benue with 137, while Katsina and Plateau recorded 112 and 76 killings, respectively.
The commission further said: “Government should not attempt to stop protest but to guide it. At the same time, the government should not lump genuine protesters with criminals.