Amnesty International Nigeria Press Release | 30 May 2020 Victims of the bloody killing in Nkpor, Anambra state, in w...
Amnesty International Nigeria
Press Release | 30 May 2020
Victims of the bloody killing in Nkpor, Anambra state, in
which over 60 pro Biafra protesters were killed and at least 100 were injured
by Nigerian security forces on 30 May 2016 are still awaiting justice four
years on, Amnesty International said today.
Families and relatives of the victims of the 2016 massacre
have been waiting and again ask the Nigerian government to ensure that those
suspected of criminal responsibility of the killings are brought to trial, and
that the victims and their families receive reparations, including adequate
compensation.
“The tragedy of the Nkpor killing is compounded by the shocking
fact that no one suspected to be responsible for the bloodshed has yet been
held accountable. If the Nigerian government wants to demonstrate that it is
committed to truth and human rights, it needs to ensure that the wheels of
justice start turning far faster than they have done over the past four years.”
said Osai Ojigho, Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.
“Despite overwhelming evidence that members of the Nigerian
security forces fired live ammunition to disperse pro-Biafra gatherings,
resulting in the death of at least 150 people, no person suspected of criminal
responsibility has been brought to justice,” said Osai Ojigho
The Nigerian military promised to investigate the killings
but is as yet to release a report of a commission of inquiry it set up in 2017
Background
During peaceful Biafra Day celebrations in May 2016 in
Onitsha, Anambra State, soldiers shot people in several locations. Amnesty
International research concluded that at least 60 extra-judicial executions
were committed in the space of two days, with a further 70 people injured. The
real number is likely to be higher.
A similar pattern of lack of accountability for gross
violations by security forces has been documented in other parts of Nigeria
including the north east in the context of operations against Boko Haram.
Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the
government of Nigeria to initiate independent investigations into allegations
of crimes under international law. President Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly
promised that these would be investigated. However, no progress has been made.
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