The police in Nigeria on Saturday faulted the #EndBadGovernance casualty figure released by global rights group Amnesty International.
Force spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi rubbished the claim made by the rights group that security agents killed 13 protesters during the demonstrations that started on Thursday.
Adejobi also said a total of 618 suspects have been arrested so far for various violent crimes during the protests. The suspects were arrested in Abuja, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Nasarawa, and Sokoto.
Adejobi said a policeman who was reported murdered on the first day of the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests “miraculously survived”.
“Nine (9) police officers sustained various degrees of injuries during attacks by protesters.
“One of them who initially was reported dead miraculously survived but remains in critical condition,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
He said while security agents did not kill anyone during the protests despite provocation, seven persons died in various circumstances unconnected to the police.
“Amnesty International further alleges that security personnel deliberately employed tactics designed to kill while managing gatherings and used firearms as a tactical tool for protest management,” he said.
“The Nigeria Police Force wishes to provide an accurate account of incidents from the first two (2) days of the nationwide protests. In Borno State, four (4) individuals lost their lives and thirty-four (34) were severely injured in a terrorist attack by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP elements who infiltrated the crowd of protesters and detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
“Additionally, an incident occurred involving an unregistered Honda Prelude car that ran into the protesters, resulting in the deaths of two (2) civilians. The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene. Although the vehicle was vandalized after the incident, it has been recovered and is currently in police custody. Efforts are ongoing to trace the driver and bring him to justice.
“There was another incident reported in Yauri, in Yauri Local Government Area of Kebbi State where a group of individuals mobilized to loot a shop. In the process, a local vigilante man shot and killed one of the looters. The Commissioner of Police in charge of Kebbi State is currently investigating the incident. This brings the total number of deaths recorded during the protests to seven (7).”
