Amnesty International wants Nigeria to Investigate 2016 Biafra Day killings
Amnesty International has said that four years after 60 pro Biafra protesters were killed and about 100 injured in Nkpor, Anambra state by the Nigerian security forces, justice is still being awaited as none of the perpetrators has been brought to book.
The International human rights watchdog in a statement said 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
Economic Confidential recalls that
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.
