Alarming extrajudicial k#llings: Nigerian security agents implicated in 1,000 De@ths in three years, reports Global Rights

A recent tracking report by the civil society group Global Rights has uncovered a shocking pattern of extrajudicial k#llings in Nigeria. The report reveals that a staggering 848 extrajudicial executions occurred in the country over the past three years, spanning from 2020 to June 2023. Additionally, the report highlights 127 cases recorded during the first half of 2023.

Global Rights Executive Director, Abiodun Baiyewu, expressed concern over the recurring figures each year, except for 2020 and 2022. He emphasized that while observing 127 extrajudicial k#llings in the first half of 2023, it is evident that law enforcement officers responsible for these de@ths have faced insufficient consequences.

The reported extrajudicial executions were linked to various incidents, including casualties from terrorist attacks, cult-related k#llings, communal clashes, and encounters with security agents. Baiyewu emphasized that these figures represent only the cases they could verify, indicating that the actual numbers could be higher.

Global Rights has been meticulously monitoring mass atrocities in Nigeria since 2018, disclosing that 271 and 253 people fell victim to extrajudicial k#llings in 2020 and 2022, respectively.

The report follows the third anniversary of the Lekki Tollgate massacre, an event that sparked nationwide protests during the #EndSARS movement. Although contested by authorities, the incident on October 20, 2020, witnessed the shooting and k#lling of numerous young Nigerian demonstrators by law enforcement officers. These protests aimed to denounce police brut@lity, especially at the hands of the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Global Rights reported that 123 people lost their lives in the Lekki Tollgate incident. The group’s findings underscore the urgent need to address extrajudicial k#llings and enhance accountability within Nigeria’s security forces.