COVID-19: Rights Violations Across Nigeria During Extended Lockdown Exposed

 

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, has disclosed that no fewer than eleven persons were killed extra-judicially within the three weeks of Coronavirus lockdown extension in Nigeria, as Abia State recorded the highest with four killings.  

Aside the extra-judicial killings, other types of violations recorded within the period include 34 incidents of torture, inhumane and degrading treatment; 14 incidents of violation of the right to freedom of movement, unlawful arrest and detention; 11 incidents of seizure/confiscation of property, 19 incidents of extortion and 15 incidents of Sexual and gender-based violence, SGBV.

AllNews recalls that the commission had at the end of the first fortnight of the lockdown in the country announced that Nigerian security agents killed 18 people while enforcing measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, a figure higher than the documented toll inflicted by the disease as at then. 

In the new report, the human rights body said it received 104 complaints on human rights violations in the course of the three weeks the lockdown was extended by President Muhammadu Buhari. 

The NHRC Executive Secretary, Barr. Tony Ojukwu, who made this known in a statement, noted that aside Abia State, Delta State recorded two deaths, while Niger, Jigawa, Lagos, Anambra, and Rivers States recorded one death each. 

He also explained that out of the 11 deaths recorded, the police were responsible for seven, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, non-state actors and the Abia State Task-Force on COVID-19 were responsible for one apiece. 

Ojukwu disclosed that an investigation was still on-going as at the time of the report to unravel the perpetrator of the extra-judicial killing that occurred in Jigawa State. 

The new report, covering between 13th April and 4th May, recorded a reduction from the earlier report which showed that 105 cases of human rights violations were recorded between 31st March to 13th April – the initial lockdown period. 

The report shows that 104 complaints were received or monitored in 26 out of the 36 states of the federation and the FCT. The States are: Abia, Adamawa; Akwa Ibom; Kano; Jigawa; Cross Rivers; Ebonyi; Edo; Enugu; Ekiti; Delta; Imo; Lagos; Nasarawa; Niger; Ogun; Osun; Borno; Bayelsa; Kogi; Benue; Anambra; Kaduna; Gombe; Zamfara and Rivers. 

Giving a breakdown of the recorded cases, Ojukwu said 49 complaints were received and documented within the first week of the extended lockdown period which was from 13th-20th April, while 33 complaints were received during the 2nd week which was from 20th-27th April while 23 complaints were received during the 3rd week which was from 27th April-4th May. 

He said the reduction showed an improvement of the state of human rights in the enforcement of COVID-19 regulations by law enforcement officers, task forces on COVID-19 and other non-state actors.

Ojukwu explained that the reduction of human rights violations was attributed to the level of awareness created by the commission following the release of its initial report of 14 April as well as efforts to ensure accountability and adherence to the rules of engagement on the part of law enforcement agencies. He lamented that Enugu State had the highest recorded cases with 13 incidents based on the report. 

Ojukwu said that the next State with the highest record was Imo with 12 while Akwa Ibom and Nasarawa States recorded 10 incidents each, and Delta and Abia States recorded nine and seven incidents respectively. 

He added that Lagos State recorded five cases, an improvement on the 28 recorded in the previous report while each of the FCT and Benue States recorded four cases. Niger, Zamfara, Osun and Rivers States recorded three incidents apiece.