GENEVA (3 November 2020) – The Nigerian government must set up a credible, independent inquiry into the recent illegal killings of at least 12 peaceful protestors by soldiers, UN human rights experts* said today. "Since 2005, UN Special Rapporteurs have repeatedly raised the issue of police killings and impunity with the Nigerian government," the experts said. "We have had 15 years of government promises, but nothing has changed. "Governments come and go, but police brutality is as intractable as ever. Nigerians need justice." Excessive use of force during peaceful assemblies is always unacceptable, the experts said, but the shootings at Lekki toll plaza in Lagos on 20 October were "especially disturbing because demonstrators were precisely calling for accountability for previous police brutality." Nigerians have taken to the streets across the country since 8 October to protest rights violations reportedly committed by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). "What is particularly disturbing is that the authorities said they had disbanded the SARS and agreed to the protestors other demands, including investigations," the experts said. "But they immediately announced the formation of another similar unit and have not ended the excessive use of force." Protestors have been met with water cannons, tear gas and live ammunition. Hundreds have been injured and an unknown number killed. In addition, security services have allegedly arrested and beaten protestors, and armed individuals have attacked others. The fact that in the Lekki toll plaza incident CCTV cameras and lights were apparently switched off shortly before soldiers opened fire on the peaceful protestors indicates "a disturbing level of premeditation," the experts said. Systematic police brutality and use of excessive force against peaceful protesters must be independently and impartially investigated and the perpetrators brought to the justice, the human rights experts said. In addition to setting up an independent inquiry, authorities must clarify why the military was deployed and who gave the order, the experts said. "Any investigation must aim to identify lines of responsibility, deliver accountability and justice, provide remedies and reparations, and recommend structural and systemic changes," they said. The experts also called on the government to release the reports of previous investigations into human rights violations by the security forces. These include the 2019 report by the National Human Rights Commission report on SARS and the 2018 report by the Presidential Investigation Panel to Review Compliance of the Armed Forces with Human Rights Obligations and Rules of Engagement ("PIP"). "The authorities have promised for years to address human rights violations by the security forces," said the experts. "Hundreds of victims and relatives of those who died have testified and sent petitions, but they never received any remedy, not even the acknowledgement that their rights were violated. It is crucial that the government releases all these reports to the public before they start new investigations." The experts have written directly to the Nigerian government, stressing that "it is high time that concrete action is taken to properly look into all incidents and that structural changes be made to prevent any re-occurrence." ENDS *THE EXPERTS: Ms. Agnès Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Mr. Clément Nyaletsossi Voule is the Special Rapporteur on the right to peaceful assembly and association; Ms. Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the freedom of opinion and expression; Leigh Toomey (Chair-Rapporteur), Elina Steinerte (Vice-Chair), José Guevara Bermúdez, Sètondji Roland Adjovi, and Seong-Phil Hong, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. The former Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions visited Nigeria in 2005 - the report on the visit is available here. The current Special Rapporteur visited Nigeria in 2019 – the end of visit statement is available here. The Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council"s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. For more information and media requests, please contact eje@ohchr.org) For media enquiries regarding other UN independent experts, please contact Renato de Souza (+41 22 928 9855 / rrosariodesouza@ohchr.org), Jeremy Laurence (+ 41 22 917 7578 / jlaurence@ohchr.org) and Kitty McKinsey (kmckinsey@ohchr.org)