Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a stern warning to Nigerian service chiefs and military commanders that they will be held responsible for crimes against humanity if they authorize the use of lethal force against peaceful civilian protesters, even after their retirement from service.
In a statement he personally signed on Tuesday, Atiku cautioned against the continued killings of unarmed protesters who are exercising their rights in a democracy. His warning comes in response to several video footages and pictures showing men in Nigerian military uniforms killing unarmed protesters in states like Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, and Abuja during the ongoing 10-day protests against bad governance.
Atiku had previously advised the government to be tolerant and allow people to express their grievances, while also urging protesters to remain civil to avoid providing excuses for brutal intervention by security agencies. However, since the protests began on Thursday, there have been reports of direct shootings of unarmed protesters, including an unidentified teenage boy in Kubwa, Abuja, who was killed on Saturday.
Journalists have also been hounded, tear-gassed, arrested, and taken to unknown locations, with some still being held days later. Social media is flooded with images of protesters returning home with broken limbs, injuries, and left untreated by security agencies who prevented some of the injured persons from seeking medical attention.
Atiku cautioned that while security agencies are allowed to perform their duties, the killing of legitimate, unarmed protesters will not go unpunished, even after the perpetrators’ retirement. He stated, “I wish to convey a stern caution to the distinguished service chiefs and military commanders of Nigeria’s armed forces that those who authorise the use of lethal force against peaceful civilian protesters will be held responsible for committing crimes against humanity, even in the years following their retirement from service.”
The former Vice President emphasized that the constitutional right to engage in peaceful protest is firmly established in Nigeria’s supreme law and reinforced by the judiciary. He added, “It is the solemn duty of the government and security agencies to ensure a safe and protected environment for individuals exercising their right to peaceful protest.”
The Nigerian military, like the police, has a history of extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses. Earlier this year, the Fulani Waziri family in Kaduna State accused soldiers deployed to Fatika of killing 12 members of their family without provocation. A pro-democracy group, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), has reported that security operatives in Nigeria have killed over 13,000 people extra-judicially from 2011 to 2021, with most culprits evading justice
