Amnesty International has released a report on extra-judicial killings by the Nigerian Police, alleging that the “police kill at will”. The release is coming after a report on Tuesday by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) of a mass burial of men killed by the Nigeria Police, and their corpses dumped at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital. The hospital management was said to have ordered the mass burial because the morgue could not contain the bodies.

The report titled “Nigeria Police kill at will”, exposed the level of extra-judicial killing by the police in the country. Erwin van der Borght, the Director of Amnesty International’s Africa Programme, claimed that “the Nigeria police are responsible for hundreds of unlawful killings every year.”

“Police don’t only kill people by shooting them; they also torture them to death, often while they are in detention.”

He added that “The majority of the cases go un-investigated and the police officers responsible go unpunished. The families of the victims usually get no justice or redress. Most never even find out what happened to their loved ones.”

According to the report, the Police frequently claim that the victims of shootings were “armed robbers” killed in “shoot-outs” with the police or while trying to escape custody. “These claims are often highly implausible,” it added.

Furthermore, the human rights body stated that some police officers see the killings of “armed robbers” in detention as acceptable practice. One of the main problems, according to the London-based organisation, is the “Nigeria Police Force Order 237”, under which police officers are allowed to shoot suspects and detainees who attempt to escape or avoid arrest – whether or not they pose a threat to life.

“Force Order 237 is so impermissibly broad. It simply gives police officers permission to shoot people. It is against international standards, and is being abused by police officers to commit, justify and cover up illegal killings,” said Mr. Van der Borght.

“The government must repeal Force Order 237 and publicly announce that the use of lethal force is only allowed when strictly unavoidable to protect life. This simple step could make a big difference to the number of unlawful police killings we are seeing in Nigeria.”

The reports added that the Nigerian government says its does not condone extrajudicial killings, but they are not doing enough to stop them and bring the police perpetrators to justice.

“Ending unlawful killings and enforced disappearances by the police will require serious legal reform and commitment and support from the Nigerian police,” said Mr. Van der Borght. “The Nigerian Police must introduce a new code of conduct throughout its chain of command – from the very top to the bottom. If not, the cycle of violence will simply continue.”

Nigerian Police says Amnesty is talking S-H-I-T-E

Why aren't they talking about THEIR own soldiers who kill,rape and miam innocent civilians in Iraq?

Why aren't they talking about the indiscriminate use of pilotless drones to kill whole families there?

Why aren't they crying about the senselessness in the so called "war on terror"?

I forgot . . .Amnesty intersenseless is American based.

Rubbish!

You must be a police officer, defence of wrong doing doesn!t bring solution to a problem.

AI abeg make una cool down jare. . .why not come to naija and see what ppl pass thru in the hands of these robbers, not to mention policeman that have lost their lives