The coalition made up of 33 CSOs condemned the use of live bullets on peaceful protesters in the country.
A coalition of civil society organisations has called for transparency in the prosecution of police officers indicted in the brutality and extrajudicial killing of Nigerians.
The coalition made up of 33 CSOs condemned the use of live bullets on peaceful protesters in the country.
They also urged the government to immediately meet the demands of the #ENDSARS protesters.
“One of the demands is the transparent prosecution of the officers responsible for the brutality against citizens.
“On this note, we applaud the request of the National Human Rights Commission to the Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, to ensure speedy prosecution of 35 operatives of the defunct SARS.
“These officers were accused of human rights violations and abuse of office in a report by the presidential investigation panel,” the coalition said in a joint statement.
The coalition said it had begun to document shreds of evidence with a view to tracking and underscoring the various human rights abuses following the #ENDSARS protest.
It also raised concerns over the legitimacy and legal backing of the NHRC to put together a panel despite not having a governing council.
It said, “This includes the launch of the Missing Persons Portal and tracking of cases specific to violence against women.
“In addition, we are ready to provide live streaming and tech support to the Panel setup, in order to enhance the credibility of the investigative process.
“We are worried that the NHRC, which announced its constitution of an independent investigation panel into the activities of the dissolved SARS, does not have a constituted governing council.
“We immediately call on President Muhammadu Buhari to grant the commission the needed capacity to conduct this investigation by inaugurating the commission’s governing council without further delay.
“In Section 7(3) of the National Human Rights Commission Act, the Executive Secretary lacks the power to act without a governing council, thus invalidating any action taken by the Anthony Ojukwu led commission.”
The coalition also condemned the destruction and looting of properties by hoodlums and the looting of COVID-19 palliatives.
It added that while state governments have reacted to the issues of hoarding palliatives, “some of the statements raise some credibility questions”.