Popular human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN) has written a letter to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, demanding the full report on large-scale killings in Nigeria between 2011 to 2018.
In a February 14 statement, he said his demand for the probe reports was necessitated by the failure of relevant authorities to prosecute the perpetrators of mindless killings of thousands of Nigerians in recent years.
The statement read in part, “Based on pressures from the human rights community, the office of the attorney-general of the federation has commenced the prosecution of the terror suspects who were arrested from 2011-2017 by the security forces.
“But to our utter dismay, the other armed gangs that have engaged in the mindless killing of thousands of Nigerian people, including children, have not been prosecuted by the respective state governments. Hence, the cold murder of unarmed citizens has continued unabated.
“In order to end the official impunity and facilitate the trial of the criminal suspects involved in the illegal killings, I hereby request for the certified true copies of the reports of investigation into the large-scale killings which took place in several states of the federation from 2011 to date.”
According to the letter, Falana is demanding probe reports of: the killing of 60 security officers in 2013 by a cult group in Nasarrawa state; the killing of over 2,000 people in Benue state by herdsmen, militia groups and other armed gangs; the killing of 800 people in Mambilia, Taraba state by a militia group in September 2017; the killing of 204 people by gunmen in southern Kaduna in 2016; the killing of 347 people “by the Nigerian army” in Zaria, Kaduna state, in 2015; the killing of 150 pro-Biafra agitators by security forces in the south-east; the alleged killing of over 2,000 people by milita groups in Zamfara state from 2011 to 2018, among others.
He advised the police boss to produce the reports in seven days from the day of the receipt of the letter as provided in the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
“However, if you fail or refuse to accede to this request, we shall proceed to institute mandamus proceedings, compelling you to furnish us with the needed information,” Falana said.