Nigeria’s security agencies have killed at least 13,241 civilians since 2011, a report by a human rights group, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), states.
The report also noted that extrajudicial killings by state actors had become the country’s primary cause of death and one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers.
The organization also said that Nigeria’s democracy is experiencing a major setback, even as it expressed concern over shrinking civic space.
CDD director, Idayat Hassan, expressed regret that security forces’ unlawful killings have become so commonplace in the country since 1999. So how can the government ensure justice in such a case?
She said: “These unlawful killings largely go unpunished because of Nigeria’s Force Order 237, which allows officers to use lethal force in ways that contravene international law, and government’s corruption and prevailing culture of impunity.
“Successive governments in Nigeria have used unlawful killings to quell secessionist upheavals and terrorist activities, a practice that was exacerbated during President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, such as the unlawful killing of 350 Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) members by the Nigerian army in 2015.”
Source: CDD
