Police and security forces in Nigeria are routinely engaging in random violence that results in hundreds of killings annually and few are brought to justice. Shootouts in which bystanders are killed are common. Civilians who refuse to pay bribes to police at roadblocks are sometimes shot. Torture in police custody is frequent, according to a December Amnesty International report titled "Killing at Will." It cites numerous cases in which men were arrested, taken to police stations and never seen again. Police "often claim that the victim was an armed robber killed in a shootout or while trying to escape police custody," the report says. Noting that the law permits officers to shoot suspects who try to escape or avoid arrest, the report says, "In practice, [this] lets the police get away with murder." Although figures on extrajudicial killings are difficult to estimate, Human Rights Watch listed 7,186 "armed robbers" killed in shootouts with police from 2000 to 2004.
The Nigeria government, being a democracy, needs to hold police accountable for their actions. Police are meant to provide security to civilians and uphold the law. Nigeria is a breeding ground for human rights violations with some of the more significant ones being harsh and life threatening prison and detention center conditions; human trafficking for the purpose of prostitution and forced labor; societal violence and vigilante killings; child labor, child abuse and child sexual exploitation; female genital mutilation (FGM); domestic violence; discrimination based on sex, ethnicity, region and religion. So, with all of these human rights violations what are Nigerians to do when they need protection from the police as well?
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