Police took over Gani Fahehinmi Park

Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission said on Wednesday that 18 people have been killed by security operatives in the process of enforcement of lockdown imposed across different parts of the country as part of measures to control the spread of Covid-19.

Ironically, as NHRC noted in the report, more Nigerians have been killed by the security operatives than the dreaded pandemic since the enforcement of the lockdown began across the country.

The human rights body said this in the report of its assessment of the enforcement of lockdown declared over Covid-19 pandemic and incidents of violation of human rights over the last two weeks.

In the report signed by its Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, NHRC said, “There were eight documented incidents of extra-judicial killing leading to 18 deaths.

“Out of this number, 12 deaths were recorded in Kaduna State. Abia State also recorded two deaths arising from two incidents; while Delta, Niger, Ebonyi and Katsina states recorded one death each.

“Whereas COVID-19 has led to the death of about 11 patients to date, law enforcement agents have extra-judicially executed 18 persons to enforce the regulations.”

Out of the 18 deaths, NHRC said the Nigeria Correctional Service was responsible for eight deaths while it blamed the Nigeria Police Force for seven of the deaths.

The human rights body also said the Nigeria Army was responsible for two of the deaths while the Ebonyi State Task Force on COVID-19, Afikpo South LGA was responsible for one death.

NHRC puts the blame for over 90 per cent of cases of violations on the police, followed by the Nigerian Army and Nigeria Correctional Service and other non-state actors.

It also noted that the highest incident of violations of rights was Lagos State with 28 incidents out of 105 complaints of human rights violation received and documented nationwide.