Security personnel in Kano State have been cracking down on FM stations, searching for journalists who dared to cover a press conference held by the parents of victims of police brutality during the #EndBadGovernance protests.
These protests, which took place last August, aimed to draw attention to the struggles faced by Nigerians, including bad governance, economic hardship, and other pressing challenges.
However, Reporter learnt that personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS), also known as State Security Service (SSS) have been looking for the addresses of the parents and the details of the organisers of the press conference.
At the press conference, families of victims killed during the #EndBadGovernance protests urged the government and police authorities to accept responsibility for the loss of innocent lives and provide justice and compensation.
The press conference was organised by the Victims Support Initiative Nigeria (VSIN) on Monday in Kano, where bereaved families shared their experiences, calling for accountability for what they termed reckless actions by law enforcement officers during the demonstrations.
One of the journalists visited by the security personnel said “they came to our radio station because on Monday we carried the story about the grievances of the parents of those killed by the police during the August protest”.
“They were asking us about the organisers of the press conference and the details of the parents who spoke at the press conference,” the journalist added.
At the press conference, Malam Yahya Ibrahim, whose son was killed during the protest, urged President Bola Tinubu to establish an independent and impartial inquiry in the killing of their children.
“Some of our sons and daughters were not even part of the protest but were killed because of excessive force used by the police. We are ready to provide all the information and evidence,” he said.
Yahya Ibrahim, who lost his five-year-old son to a stray bullet in their family compound, spoke emotionally on behalf of the families.
“My son was just playing in the compound when a stray bullet cut his life short. This was not an accident but a failure of governance and accountability. We demand justice for all innocent lives lost,” he said.
The VSIN revealed that over 50 families across the country have reported similar tragic losses linked to the protests, highlighting a pattern of alleged excessive force by security operatives.
Fatima Yusuf, the coordinator of VSIN, urged the government to set up an independent judicial panel to investigate the incidents and ensure compensation for the victims’ families.
“These families deserve justice, not silence. The lives lost during the protests are a reminder of the systemic failures we need to fix as a nation,” she said.
My son was just a little boy playing in our compound. He was too young to even understand what a protest meant, yet a policeman’s bullet took his life,” Ibrahim said, his voice heavy with grief.
“The Inspector General’s denial of this tragedy only adds to our pain. It’s a stark reminder of how accountability is missing.”
The families called on the government to thoroughly investigate the killings and hold officers who misused firearms accountable.
They also pressed for financial compensation for those who lost loved ones or suffered life-altering injuries.
Ibrahim explained how the lack of justice has worsened their anguish, leaving many families without closure.
“We won’t stop fighting for justice until those responsible face the consequences,” he vowed.
However, they appeal for the government to address the victims’ grievances and ensure such tragedies never happen again.
On January 14, 2025, Reporters reported that Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist and convener of the #RevelationNow Movement, questioned the Nigeria Police Force’s motives for harassing Amnesty International over its report on the August 2024 police killing of #EndBadGovernance protesters.
Notably, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) made similar claims, but the police haven’t targeted them.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), called out the Nigerian police for what he described as a double standard.
If the police are demanding that Amnesty International retract its reports and issue a public apology, Sowore noted they should also extend the same demand to NHRC.
The human rights activist made this statement in response to reports that the Nigerian police had written to Amnesty International, asking the organisation to apologise and retract its report.
The report in question alleges that police used live ammunition at close range, resulting in the deaths of at least 24 people during protests in several states, including Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, and Niger.
Amnesty International had said the police used live ammunition at close range, killing at least 24 people during #EndBadGovernance protests in Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, and Niger states.
The organisation said some victims were shot in the head or torso, while others were suffocated by teargas.
“People in Nigeria witnessed unbelievable lawlessness as security personnel fired live ammunition at peaceful protests,” Amnesty International Nigeria’s Director, Isa Sanusi, said.
“The death toll could be higher than 24 because of the authorities’ desperate efforts to cover up the atrocities.