Police Clarify: Only Seven Casualties in Recent Hunger Protest, Not 24 as Claimed
The Nigeria Police Force has disputed a report by Amnesty International that claimed 24 deaths during hunger protests across Nigeria. According to the police, only seven fatalities were recorded in the protests.
They clarified that these deaths were from specific incidents: four casualties in Borno were attributed to a terrorist attack by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP elements infiltrating the crowd, two deaths resulted from a car running into protesters in Niger State, and one was due to a vigilante shooting a suspected looter in Kebbi State.
The police emphasized their non-lethal approach to handling the protests and stated that most deaths resulted from external factors rather than direct police action.
They also reported widespread property damage and arrests of over 600 individuals linked to looting and other crimes during the protests.