Amidst birthday wishes celebrating former President Muhammadu Buhari, Amnesty International has released a report detailing human rights abuses during his presidency from 2015 to 2023.
As Buhari marked his 81st birthday, Amnesty International highlighted numerous atrocities, including the extrajudicial killing of 150 pro-Biafra protesters, the massacre of 350 Shiite Muslims in Zaria, and the brutal suppression of #EndSARS protesters.
The organization’s post, titled ‘Gross Human Rights Violations Under Buhari Administration,’ documented the mass slaughter in Zaria in 2015 and the extrajudicial executions of pro-Biafra protesters from August 2015 to August 2016.
Amnesty International emphasized the violent crackdown on #EndSARS protests in 2020, where 56 people were killed nationwide, including at least 12 at #LekkiTollGate and Alausa on October 20, 2020.
The report also criticized the Buhari administration for failing to bring perpetrators to justice, leading to an escalation in conflicts between farmers and herders, resulting in at least 3,641 deaths over three years.
The organization recalled the abuse suffered by female survivors of Boko Haram’s insurgency, with security forces and the CJTF subjecting them to further violence.
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Journalists were not spared, as at least 19 were attacked, arrested, tortured, harassed, and threatened between January and September 2019, with some going into hiding.
Amnesty International’s report painted a grim picture of Buhari’s legacy, noting that the former president’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu praised Buhari as a virtuous servant-leader, attributing his emergence to divine orchestration.
Ahmad Lawan, a loyalist to Buhari, expressed commitment to addressing corruption, improving the economy, and enhancing security for Nigerians.
(Peoples Gazette)