The human rights organisation, Amnesty International, on Friday gave a damning verdict on the nation�s human rights record
In its State of the World�s Human Rights Report 2008 released in Abuja, it detailed various instances of human rights violation by Nigeria and other countries.
In Nigeria, the military, police, other security forces, and militants in the Niger Delta, were fingered as being behind the hundreds of extrajudicial execution that took place in 2007.
It said over 200 persons, including journalists, were killed before, during, and after the April and May general election.
Also, the body alleged that there were countless cases of harassment of human rights defenders, journalists, abuse of women, rape, and intimidation of political opponents.
Parts of the report on Nigeria read, �Members of the police and security forces extra-judicially executed hundreds of people in 2007.
�These included killings by police during routine road checks or for refusing to pay a bribe, shootings of suspected armed robbers on arrest, and extrajudicial executions of detainees in police stations.
�The military were also frequently involved in extrajudicial executions, especially in the Niger Delta.
�The acting IGP stated that in the first 100 days he was in office, 1,628 armed robbers were arrested and 785 were killed by the police. In the FCT, police embarked on a shoot-on-sight operation.�
In detailing the atrocities in the Niger Delta, the organisation alleged that members of the Joint Task Force carried out severe human rights violation with the knowledge of and cover up by government.
It said, while the security forces carried out extrajudicial executions, torture and destruction of homes, the militants in the area kidnapped dozens of oil workers, their relatives, children, and attacked many oil installations.
�In the run-up to the April 2007 elections, violence in the Delta increased as politicians used armed gangs to attack their opponents. After the elections, the violence, rather than decreasing, increased yet further.
�In August, rival gangs clashed in the streets of Port Harcourt, killing at least 30 people and injuring many more, including bystanders. More died when the JTF intervened using helicopters and machine-guns �� at least 32 were killed.�
On the 2007 elections, which the organisation wrote off because of the reported cases of irregularities, it alleged that government encouraged the slaughtering of rival opposition politicians.
�Widespread political violence linked to the April elections led to the deaths of at least 200 people.
Among those killed were candidates running for political office, their supporters, the Independent National Electoral Commission officials and bystanders.
�The election period also saw attacks on journalists, intimidation and harassment of voters, and widespread destruction of property.
�Politicians used armed gangs in their electoral campaigns to attack their opponents and their supporters. The government failed to take effective action to deal with the violence or to address the role of politicians in fomenting it.�
AI stated that it uncovered evidence of seven executions by hanging carried out in 2006 in Kaduna, Jos and Enugu prisons, while about 784 inmates were on death row at the end of 2007.
It also criticised the non passage of the Freedom of Information Bill by the National Assembly, long delays in the justice delivery system, and the non implementation of prison reforms.
AI said that while there are over 45,000 prisoners, 25,000 were awaiting trial; a situation it believed contributed to three riots that led to the death of 20 inmates in Kuje, Kano, and Agodi Prisons.
However, the authorities of the Nigerian Army and the Police expressed outrage over the Amnesty International�s report which accused them of condoning extra-judicial killings by their men.
Speaking with our correspondent in Abuja on Saturday, the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Emeka Onwuamaegbu, asserted that it was unfair and inappropriate to accuse members of a well-discipline force like the Nigerian Army of such atrocities.
He said that soldiers had a right to defend themselves against any form of aggression.
�I have not seen the report but I can assure you that we are not engaged in any extra-judicial killing in the Niger-Delta. We are there to conduct internal security operations.
�If the lives of our men are threatened while they are conducting security operations, they retaliate but we do not go out of our way to kill defenceless people.
�We are there to safeguard the oil facilities in that area and, in protecting the oil facilities, if the lives of those who are protecting the facilities gets threatened, then they protect themselves,� Brigadier-General Onwuamaegbu stated.
Also, reacting, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Agberebi Akpoebi, told Sunday Punch that the AI report lacked credibility.
The police said that it contradicted what the police stood for.
Stressing that the allegations in the report seriously contradicted what the Nigeria Police under the current Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mike Okiro, stands for, Mr. Akpoebi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, further pointed out that victims� families would have filed many court cases against the police if summary killings were truly going on.
Akpoebi added, �We are in a democracy and people would have complained very loudly if extra-judicial killings are going on but we do not have any complaint at all. If we have not received any complaint that over 200 members of their families were killed, it means that the report is not true. It lacks credibility and it is designed to tarnish the image of the force.
�No such killings are taking place in Nigeria. We are now in a democratic era where Nigerians who have valid facts that rights of family members are being violated by the police have rights to complain.
�At this moment that I am talking to you, we have not received any such complaint. Since June 2007 when the Inspector-General of Police assumed office, he has been taking many proactive steps to check incidents of violation of human rights of Nigerians by the police.
�One of such measures was the appointment of Human Rights Officers in police stations across this country. They ensure that officers involved in patrols, arrest and investigation of suspects treat suspects humanely.
�The IG has also appointed Conflict Resolution Officers in every police station towards ensuring that many issues get resolved at police stations. He has also taken steps to ensure that police officers do not collect or demand money from members of the public. I am assuring you that the (Amnesty International) report is not true and it should be disregarded,� Akpoebi said.