Amnesty International has renewed allegations of widespread human rights violations during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, citing mass killings, suppression of protests, attacks on journalists and abuse of vulnerable women and girls.
In a post shared on its official X page on Monday, the organisation said the “gross human rights violations” occurred during Mr Buhari’s tenure between 2015 and 2023.
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Mr Buhari’s administration came under a new review amid activities his first post-humous birthday, including the launching of his biography – ‘From Soldier to Statesman – The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari’ – authored by Charles Omole.
Mr Buhari, Nigeria’s military ruler between 1984 and 1985 who died in July, would have been 83 on 17 December.
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Since his death in July, there have been outpours of tributes and and rebukes alike, rekindled by his post-humous birthday in the last few days.
#EndSARS protest
Amnesty International recalled the violent crackdown on the October 2020 #EndSARS protests against police brutality.
The protests erupted as a nationwide movement against police brutality, extortion and extrajudicial killings allegedly carried out by the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force.
What began as largely peaceful demonstrations, led mostly by young Nigerians, quickly gained momentum across major cities, with protesters demanding accountability, justice for victims of abuse and broader reforms within the security sector.
Amnesty International said the demonstrations were met with a violent response from state authorities, culminating in a nationwide crackdown.
According to the organisation, at least 56 people were killed during the protests across the country, including at least 12 demonstrators who were killed at the Lekki Toll Gate and Alausa areas of Lagos State on 20 October 2020.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly denied that a massacre occurred. In a recent interview on Channels Television, the former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, rejected claims by rights groups and witnesses, insisting that reports of a massacre were false, exaggerated and unsupported by facts.
After the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry submitted its final report in November 2021, concluding that unarmed protesters were shot by soldiers, the Lagos State Government issued a White Paper rejecting key findings. The state government faulted the panel’s conclusions, arguing that evidence presented did not prove that protesters were killed at the toll gate, and described parts of the report as inconsistent and flawed.
While the panel’s findings were welcomed by civil society and international organisations, both the federal and Lagos state governments maintained that there was no “Lekki Toll Gate massacre,” a stance that has remained a major point of contention in Nigeria’s human rights discourse.
Press freedom
On press freedom, Amnesty International accused the Buhari administration of targeting journalists and media organisations.
It added that between January and September 2019, at least 19 journalists and media practitioners were attacked, arrested, tortured, harassed or threatened, forcing some of them to go into hiding, while security forces also carried out raids on media organisations, including Daily Trust and Premium Times.
“Under Buhari, journalists were arrested, intimidated and harassed, bloggers were beaten,” the Rights Group said.
Nigeria’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index fell from 111th in 2015, when Mr Buhari took office, to 123rd by 2023, reflecting a decline in press freedom during his tenure.
Abuse of women
Amnesty International further accused Nigerian security forces and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force of abusing women and girls who survived Boko Haram captivity.
“Thousands of women and girls who survived the brutal rule of the Boko Haram armed group were further abused by the Nigerian security forces and CJTF who claim to be rescuing them. The women and girls were raped, sometimes in exchange for food,” Amnesty International said.
Failure to ensure accountability
The rights group linked the escalation of farmers–herders violence across the country to what it described as the Buhari administration’s failure to ensure accountability.
“The failure to bring perpetrators to justice fuelled a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders,” Amnesty International said, adding that “at least 3,641 people were killed in three years, with over 57 per cent of the deaths recorded in 2018.”
While the Buhari administration repeatedly denied allegations of systematic human rights abuses, Amnesty International said the lack of accountability during the period entrenched impunity and deepened public distrust in state institutions.
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Zaria massacre
Amnesty International said one of the gravest incidents during his presidency occurred in Zaria, Kaduna State, between 12 and 14 December 2015, when Nigerian military forces killed more than 350 men, women and children.
The organisation also accused security forces of carrying out extrajudicial executions of pro-Biafra activists between August 2015 and August 2016.
“Nigerian security forces carried out a chilling campaign of extrajudicial executions, resulting in the deaths of at least 150 peaceful pro-Biafra protesters,” Amnesty International said.
Deadly attacks on pro-Biafra demonstrators
According to the rights group, the deadliest episode occurred on 30 May 2016, Biafra Remembrance Day, in Onitsha, Anambra State.
“By far the largest number of pro-Biafra activists were killed on 30 May 2016,” Amnesty said, adding that “the night before the rally, security forces raided homes and a church where IPOB members were sleeping. Many were slaughtered, some burnt alive.”
