Raila asks African Union, Nigerian govt to probe police brutality incidents, prosecute perpetrators

ODM Leader Raila Odinga has called on the African Union and the Nigerian authorities to expedite probe into the injuring and killing of peaceful protesters in Nigeria.

In a statement on Thursday, the former Prime Minister termed the maiming and killing of unarmed civilians “extremely worrying and unacceptable”

“There can be no excuse for that amount of brutality on unarmed civilians protesting the misconduct on part of the police,” Raila said in the statement.

According to Raila, brutality meted out on protesters is a sad reminder of how “precarious and threatened Africa’s march towards democratization, respect for rights and freedoms and the rule of law remains.

“It is clear that as a continent, we won’t achieve much without strict adherence to these ideals,” he added.

He asked the relevant Nigeria bodies to embrace restraint and engagement to resolve conflict instead of confrontation politics.

He also urged Africa to stand up and condemn abuse of rights of its citizen with the same flair it responds to violations of its citizens abroad.