Rights group Amnesty International says more than 40 people arrested in Nigeria during the 2020 protests against a controversial police unit are still in jail two years later without having been convicted of any charges.
Amnesty's report, released as part of the second anniversary of the massive youth-led protests against police brutality in Nigeria, said arbitrary arrests and detentions by police have continued unabated in the country. It said authorities have attempted to justify the detentions by resorting to trumped-up charges, including theft, arson, possession of unlawful firearms and murder.
Amnesty also said investigative panels set up by the government have been marred by prolonged adjournments, intimidation of witnesses by police, and sometimes the failure of the police to appear as witnesses.
For two weeks in October 2020, protests rocked many Nigerian cities demanding an end to the SARS police unit, which was accused of extorting, beating, torturing and killing civilians over 30 years.
But the demonstrations halted the night of October 20, when security forces opened fire as hundreds of protesters gathered at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos. Amnesty International says 12 people were killed.
On Thursday, police dispersed "End SARS" supporters who held a procession at the Lekki toll gate to remember fellow protesters who died there.
One of the protest leaders at the toll gate, Rinu Oduala, said police brutality is far from being over in Nigeria.
"They were harassed, they were arrested, they were beaten by the police just for simply trying to have the second memorial of the Lekki shooting for our dead counterparts who were killed by soldiers in 2020," Oduala said. "This has shown that the Nigerian government are not willing to address the grievances of police brutality."
Lagos state police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin denied the allegations. He said Thursday on Twitter that the protesters were temporarily held because they flouted existing protocols at the toll gate area. He said they were all released later.
Hundeyin also said operatives used minimal force in carrying out their duties.
But human rights activist Aisha Yesufu said authorities were trying to cover up.
"These people just do anything, anyhow, the way they want," Yesufu said. "We have four months to the elections. What will happen after the election? It's crazy."
For now, groups like Amnesty International and "End SARS" supporters are demanding authorities prosecute the perpetrators of the deadly crackdown two years ago and release the detainees.
