October 21, 2021

[GIST] Nigeria: No Justice For Victims Of Police Brutality One Year After #EndSARS Protests

[GIST] Nigeria: No Justice For Victims Of Police Brutality One Year After #EndSARS Protests

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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PRESS RELEASE

20 October 2021

 

• Despite promises of reform police impunity goes on

• Investigation panels dashing victims’ hope of getting justice

• Pro-government mobs used to instigate violence

 

One year after peaceful #EndSARS protests ended in a brutal crackdown by Nigerian security forces in Abuja, Lagos and other parts of the country, no one has been brought to justice for the torture, violence, and killings of peaceful protesters, while reports of human rights violations by the police continue, Amnesty International said today.

 

An investigation by the organization found that Nigerian army and police killed at least 12 people on 20 October 2020 at Lekki toll gate and Alausa in Lagos. Amnesty International was able to establish that pro-government supporters instigated violence at many of the demonstrations, providing cover for the police to use lethal forceagainst peaceful protesters. The organization also found that detained protesters were tortured and refused or denied immediate access to lawyers. 

A year on, despite the gravity of these human rights violations, not a single member of the security forces has been prosecuted while judicial panels of inquiry set up to investigate abuses by officers have made little progress.

“President Muhammadu Buhari must fulfill his promise of reforming the police to end the reign of impunity Nigerians have been protesting against for many years. Failure to bring to justice those suspected to be responsible for the torture and killings of #EndSARS protesters on 20 October 2020 is yet another indication that Nigerian authorities lack the political will to ensure accountability for these atrocities, and end police brutality,” said Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria. 

“Under the pretext of restoring order, horrific injuries were inflicted on hundreds of people and at least 56 people were killed, among them dozens of young people lost their lives as Nigerian security forces used unnecessary and excessive force to disperse peaceful protesters across the country. It is unacceptable that despite overwhelming evidence, the government continues to deny the use of live ammunition on protesters at Lekki toll gate exactly a year ago.”

Amnesty International had documented incidents at Lekki Toll Gate Lagos and other parts of Nigeria, showing the violent response of the Nigerian security forces to peaceful protests. The clear aim of the crackdown was to instill fear, discourage peaceful protests and punish those demanding an end to widespread human rights violations by the police. 

Use of pro-government supporters to whip up violence

While most of the #EndSARS protesters were peaceful, there wasviolence, mostly instigated by pro-government supporters.

After reviewing videos and photos of the protest sites, Amnesty international found that in nearly 21 incidents where violence occurred between peaceful protesters and pro-government supporters, security forces not only failed to take preventive measures to avoid peaceful assemblies from being disrupted, but they also failed to protect protesters from violent attacks.  

“In many instances, the police and other security agents watched as apparently government-backed armed thugs attacked peaceful protesters. In some cases, these thugs were brought to the protest sitesin government vehicles. On at least two occasions, these attacks resulted in the death of protesters,” said Osai Ojigho.

Excessive use of force

Almost every person arrested during the protests described being beaten with the butt of a gun, whips and fists during their arrests. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 12 journalists were attacked during the #EndSARS protests by security forces and unidentified perpetrators.

Many of those detained interviewed by Amnesty International said that they were tortured while in detention. In many cases, police abuse continued in detention, in police stations and other holding facilities, and on the way to detention, in police vehicles. Several such cases amount to torture and other ill-treatment. 

Delayed or no access to legal counsel

Amnesty International also documented numerous cases in which police denied or delayed access to lawyers and medical care to detainees. This was despite repeated requests from detainees to see or call a lawyer – and repeated requests from lawyers at places of detention to have access to the detainees. Several lawyers and human right defenders said they spent days moving from one police station to another trying to find out where those who had been arrested were being held.

One person arrested during a protest on 18 October 2020 and held at Lagos state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Panti, said he repeatedly asked to call a lawyer. He was told by a police officer to shut up. While in detention, he was denied access to a lawyer whohad come to see him and was unable to meet with a lawyer until a week after being arrested.

Providing timely access to lawyers is an important safeguard for many human rights, such as the right to a fair trial and ensuring the detainee’s rights are respected in custody, including the right to access medical care when needed, as well as protection from coerced confessions and torture and other ill-treatment.

Investigative panels set up to look into police brutality have so far been marred by prolonged adjournments, intimidation of witnesses by police lawyers and the failure of police officers to appear as witnesses, according to observer reports verified by Amnesty International. Panels have failed to sit in some states, and in others have gone on an indefinite break.

“What we observed at these panels is discouraging and clearly shows there is no real commitment to ensuring justice for victims of police violence across Nigeria. These panels raised hopes of getting justice but in some states, this is quickly vanishing,” said Osai Ojigho

Amnesty International is calling on Nigerian authorities to put words into action and decisively end police impunity. Use of pro-government thugs to violently disperse and undermine peaceful #EndSARS protests must be thoroughly, independently, impartially, and transparently investigated and suspected perpetrators brought to justice in fair trials. 

Nigerians must not be denied the constitutionally and internationally guaranteed right to peaceful protest. All those detained or missing since the #EndSARS protests must be immediately released or reunited with their families. Nigerian authorities must ensure access of victims and their families to effective remedies, including adequate compensation, restitution, and guarantee of non-repetition.

“The #EndSARS movement was met with the same use of excessive force by the police it was set to fight against. It is time for the authorities to ensure accountability and end impunity for police violence in Nigeria,” said Osai Ojigho

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[GIST] #EndSARS: Might Becomes Right, By Cheta Nwanze

[GIST] #EndSARS: Might Becomes Right, By Cheta Nwanze

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A year ago today, at least 44 people were killed in nine separate incidents around the country, most infamously at least nine killed at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos. One year on and justice still eludes the peaceful protesters who were brutally cut down. It is a bitter irony that the very security services whom were the subject of the protests, and in many cases, would have been beneficiaries of the very reforms sought by the protesters, were deeply involved in perpetrating the violence on the people they are sworn to protect.

Jimoh Isiaq was shot and killed by policemen dispersing #EndSARS protesters. His crime was to stand on the pavement watching the peaceful protests tens of metres away from him. He did not join them. One year on, he has not gotten justice. This article is for him, and for the unnamed driver shot at Ojuelegba in Lagos. For the many others whose deaths led to the protests. It is also for Pelumi Onifade and others who died or were arrested later.

Despite the mountain of damning evidence from various panels set up in several states to investigate the atrocities, not a single arrest has been made. The best we have gotten is recommendations to pay compensation to victims or families of some of the affected persons.

In a manner of speaking, 20 October 2020 is a logical summation of Nigeria’s issues. If Nigeria never recovers from the current dark place it is in, 20 October 2020 will stand as a huge signpost on that path to perdition. It is a moment of broken trust, and for many, it proved that the #EndSARS protestors were right not to trust the government after promises had been made to reform the F-SARS unit.

The #EndSARS protests was a decentralised group of protests demanding the government disbanded the notorious Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad who routinely wasted innocent lives rather than going after actual robbers. F-SARS officials profiled young Nigerians based on their lifestyle choices and bullied them, to put it mildly. Evidence abound about how F-SARS officers kidnapped, murdered, raped, humiliated and unlawfully detained helpless citizens.

After the government disbanded the unit four times between 2017 to 2019, Nigerian youths rose to make their voices heard. They simply wanted less police extortion and killings, but did the government listen? No. So young people marched to the streets, and were met first with government sponsored thugs being ferried around in government vehicles to attack peaceful protesters, and then eventually, the Army. And you wonder why more people have lost faith in this government?

20 October 2020 showed that a huge part of Nigeria’s inability to solve its problems is the disdain of so-called leaders. Lekki on 20 October 2020, and Obigbo in Rivers State in the days after, were not the only case of the Nigerian State killing protesters and hiding their bodies in order to downply the magnitude of the crime. Soldiers removed bodies from the scene of the crimes in Odi, Zaria, Nkpor, and so many other places.

The youths did not believe the government’s promises last year and one year on, no changes have happened. The government has lied some more and disregarded every promise about police reform. Instead, the EFCC has stepped in right where F-SARS left off.

Nigeria’s security forces learnt nothing from the Lekki Massacre. Just last month we saw soldiers stabbing Shiite protesters in Abuja in broad daylight. No one has been reprimanded. Just today, the police, after a “show of force”, deployed tear gas against people memorialising last year’s shooting. 

But of course ultimately, they all take their cue from the top. Nigeria’s security architecture is all about regime security. President Buhari is on record saying that the #EndSARS protests were about removing him from office. That is all that matters. Not the fact that security is demonstrably worse under him. Not the fact that the already high, and still rising, unemployment is feeding the army of “bandits” whom his Air Force paid a bribe to retrieve a lethal weapon. Not the fact that people are struggling to eat. All that matters to the man is remaining in power, and in that regard, he is deaf to all else.

Consider that Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector General of Police when the #EndSARS protests broke out was about three months from retirement. Would it have cost Buhari anything to sacrifice Adamu as a concession to the protesters? Instead we got the expected tone-deafness that has radicalised various groups in various parts of the country. All at a time when it is clear that the Nigerian state has lost the monopoly of violence, and rather than introspect, it is pushing more and more of its citizens towards the belief, or is it knowledge, that might, is indeed right.

 

Nwanze is a partner at SBM Intelligence

 

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[GIST] One Killed As Cult Members Invade Secondary School In Delta

[GIST] One Killed As Cult Members Invade Secondary School In Delta

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A female student of Ogume Grammar School, Ogume in the Ndokwa West Council Area of Delta State has been killed by hoodlums who invaded the school.

Properties worth millions of naira were destroyed by the hoodlums, Tribune reports. 

File photo used to illustrate story. The Guardian Nigeria

The hoodlums, suspected to be cult members, also attacked the school's principal. She was rushed to the General Hospital, Kwale for treatment.

The report stated that the school’s ICT center, principal’s office, a car, and the administrative office, amongst others, were burnt by the cult members.

‌On Wednesday, the state government announced the immediate closure of the school till further notice. This was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Secondary Education, Rose Ezewu, during a meeting held with the leaders of Ogume community.

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[GIST] Two Nigerians Shot In 2020 By Lawless Policemen Join #EndSARS Memorial In Edo

[GIST] Two Nigerians Shot In 2020 By Lawless Policemen Join #EndSARS Memorial In Edo

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Hundreds of youths took to major streets in Benin, the Edo State capital, to mark the first anniversary of the EndSARS protests on Wednesday.

They converged at the Oba Ovonramwen Square, popularly called Ring Road, with placards bearing various inscriptions. They demanded automatic employment for the victims of the protest in the state.

The youths also demanded implementation of the report of the judicial panel that was set up by the state government, adding that those still in detention as a result of the 2020 protest should be released unconditionally, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Security personnel drawn from the Nigerian police, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and members of local vigilante were on the ground to ensure peace.

Members of the Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV) controlled traffic while the peaceful march lasted.

Two of the victims, a fashion designer, Miracle Ailenokhoriah, who has been bedridden as a result of a gunshot to his right thigh, and Stephen Asekhame, whose left leg was amputated as a result of a gunshot from soldiers in Auchi during the protest, joined other protesters.

Asekhame, who is from Uhonmora, Owan West Local Government Area of Edo, said he was amputated after he was hit by a bullet during the protest.

“During the protest last year on the 19th of October 2020, we in Auchi decided to hold our peaceful protest. Soldiers ran into us and I was hit by a bullet that led to the amputation of my left leg. I was a student then but now I am a graduate and I am supposed to go for NYSC next Sunday.

“I presented my case before the panel through my lawyer, but till now, we have not heard anything from the panel,” he said.

 Ailenokhoriah, who was accompanied by his mother, said they were protesting at the Market Square in Ekpoma when a policeman he identified as Sergeant Ade, shot him.

“Ade and other policemen started beating me and they said if I die, I would be buried behind the police station. I was later sent to the hospital where I spent three months and now we have resorted to traditional treatment. But since then, I have not been able to stand up,” he said.

His mother, Betty Odiagbe, said they had sent a petition and appeared before the panel but nothing had come out of it.

She lamented that she had spent so much on her son's health which had made it impossible for her to pay the school fees of her other children.

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[GIST] FBI, South Africa Arrest Eight Nigerian Black Axe Cult Members For Internet Scam, Money Laundering

[GIST] FBI, South Africa Arrest Eight Nigerian Black Axe Cult Members For Internet Scam, Money Laundering

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Seven leaders of the Cape Town zone of the Neo Black Movement of Africa, also known as “Black Axe,” and an eighth man who conspired with a Black Axe leader, were charged with multiple federal crimes relating to Internet scams they perpetrated from South Africa, Acting U.S. Attorney, Rachael A. Honig, has announced.

According to the US Department of Justice, Perry Osagiede, aka “Lord Sutan Abubakar de 1st,” aka “Rob Nicolella,” aka “Alan Salomon,” 52; Enorense Izevbigie, aka “Richy Izevbigie,” aka “Lord Samuel S Nujoma,” 45; Franklyn Edosa Osagiede, aka, “Lord Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela,” aka, “Edosa Franklyn Osagiede,” aka “Dave Hewitt,” aka, “Bruce Dupont,” 37; Osariemen Eric Clement, aka, “Lord Adekunle Ajasi,” aka, “Aiden Wilson,” 35; Collins Owhofasa Otughwor, aka, “Lord Jesse Makoko,” aka, “Philip Coughlan,” 37; and Musa Mudashiru, aka “Lord Oba Akenzua,” 33; all originally from Nigeria, are charged by superseding indictment with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, spanning 2011 to 2021. One defendant remains at large.

FBI Agents The intercept

Perry Osagiede, Franklyn Osagiede, Clement, and Izevbigie were also charged with wire fraud. Perry Osagiede, Franklyn Osagiede, and Otughwor were charged with aggravated identity theft.

Toritseju Gabriel Otubu, aka “Andy Richards,” aka “Ann Petersen,” 41, also originally from Nigeria, is charged by separate indictment with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering conspiracy, spanning 2016 to 2021.

“Americans are too often victimized by criminal organizations located abroad who use the Internet to deceive those victims, defraud them of money, and, many times, persuade the victims to wittingly or unwittingly assist in perpetuating the fraudulent schemes,” Acting U.S. Attorney Honig said. 

“The public should be on guard against schemes like these. And, more importantly, anyone thinking of engaging in this kind of criminal conduct should understand that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners will find them and bring them to justice, no matter where they are.”

Secret Service Office of Investigations, Assistant Director Jeremy Sheridan, added, “Transnational organized criminal networks continue to victimize U.S. citizens and threaten the financial infrastructure of the United States.

“The Secret Service, alongside our partner agencies, work tirelessly in its global investigative mission to dismantle these groups and arrest those who lead them. We are proud to be a part of the international law enforcement mission to combat all forms of financial crimes and thank all those involved in this investigation. The U.S. Secret Service extends its gratitude to the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service for its assistance.

“Foreign nationals who think they can hide in another country or cyberspace while preying on our citizens need to know one thing.

“The FBI has a global footprint and will use every resource available to protect the American people. The strong working relationship among our federal and international law enforcement partners allows us to reach across geographical boundaries. In other words, anyone who thinks they can avoid American justice simply by operating outside the United States should rethink their strategy.”

According to documents filed in these cases: Perry Osagiede, Izevbigie, Franklyn Osagiede, Clement, Otughwor, and Mudashiru (the “Black Axe defendants”) were all leaders of the Neo Black Movement of Africa, also known as “Black Axe,” an organization headquartered in Benin City, Nigeria that operates in various countries.

The Black Axe is organized into regional chapters known as “zones,” and the defendants were all leaders within the Cape Town, South Africa, Zone. Perry Osagiede founded the Cape Town Zone of Black Axe and worked as its zonal head, along with Izevbigie. The Black Axe defendants and other members of Black Axe took part in, and openly discussed, fraud schemes amongst their membership.  

From at least 2011 through 2021, the Black Axe defendants and other conspirators worked together from Cape Town to engage in widespread internet fraud involving romance scams and advance-fee schemes. Many of these fraudulent narratives involved claims that an individual was traveling to South Africa for work and needed money or other items of value following a series of unfortunate and unforeseen events, often involving a construction site or problems with a crane.

The conspirators used social media websites, online dating websites, and voice-over-internet protocol phone numbers to find and talk with victims in the United States while using many aliases.  

The conspirators’ romance scam victims believed they were in romantic relationships with the person using the alias and when requested, the victims sent money and items of value overseas, including to South Africa. Sometimes, when victims expressed hesitation in sending money, the conspirators used manipulative tactics to coerce the payments, including by threatening to distribute personally sensitive photographs of the victim.

The conspirators used the bank accounts of victims and individuals with U.S.-based financial accounts to transfer the money to South Africa. On certain occasions, the conspirators convinced victims to open financial accounts in the United States that the conspirators would then be permitted to use themselves. In addition to laundering money derived from romance scams and advance-fee schemes, the conspirators also worked to launder money from business email compromise schemes. In addition to their aliases, the conspirators used business entities to conceal and disguise the illegal nature of the funds.

Otubu also engaged in romance scams and used the victims of those scams to obtain money and to launder the proceeds of business email compromises back to South Africa. Otubu conspired with an individual identified in the criminal complaint as Co-conspirator 1, who was a founding member and leader of the Cape Town Zone of Black Axe.  

The wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud charges each carry a maximum term of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. The money laundering conspiracy charge carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greatest. The aggravated identity theft charges carry a mandatory term of two years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed on a defendant.        

Seven defendants were arrested in South Africa yesterday by the South African Police Service. Those defendants had their initial appearances in South Africa and are awaiting extradition to the United States on these charges. Both cases are before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court.

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