COVID-19 lockdown: Senate President condemns alleged extrajudicial killings

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has joined other Nigerians to express concern over reported killings of Nigerians by security agents deployed to enforce the Federal Government directive on national lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has recently revealed that about 18 Nigerians have been killed by security agents who claimed to be enforcing the directive on the lockdown.

Reacting to the disclosure by the NHRC, Lawan said he was saddened by the alleged high-handedness of the security officers saddled with the responsibility of enforcing the stay-at-home directives.

The Senate President said that extrajudicial killings, in whatever guise, should be discouraged in the society. He called for a thorough investigation of the cases and that those indicted be promptly brought to account.

“Life is sacred. It is a tragedy that those asked to enforce compliance with emergency measures adopted for public safety are now being accused of responsibility for needless and totally avoidable deaths of citizens,” he said.

He insisted that “any officer found culpable of unprofessional use of weapons should as a standard practice be made to face prosecution.”

 

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