The Human Rights Association (HRA) has accused Nigerian security forces of operating within a growing culture of impunity following a string of alleged extrajudicial killings across the country, warning that the Federal Government’s failure to enforce accountability is undermining constitutional protections and public trust in state institutions.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday, the rights group called on the Federal Government to prosecute security personnel implicated in unlawful killings, dismantle institutional structures enabling abuse, and implement long-delayed police reforms promised after the 2020 EndSARS protests.

The organisation cited the recent killings of Mene Ogidi, a 28-year-old delivery rider in Delta State, and Abdulsamad Jamiu, a serving National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member in Abuja, as evidence of a persistent pattern of excessive force by both police and military personnel.

Ogidi was reportedly restrained and shot at close range on April 26 in Effurun, Delta State, by Assistant Superintendent of Police Nuhu Usman while delivering a package. Footage of the incident circulated widely on social media, triggering public outrage. The officer was later arrested and dismissed from service.

A day earlier, Jamiu was allegedly shot dead inside his father’s compound in the Dei-Dei area of Abuja by soldiers attached to the Guards Brigade Quick Response Force. While the military initially described the incident as a crossfire, the officer involved later admitted it was a mistake. The victim’s family has rejected both explanations.

“Two killings. Two days. Two different arms of Nigeria’s security apparatus. Neither victim was a criminal. Neither posed a threat. Neither is alive,” the HRA stated.

The group said the incidents are not isolated but part of a broader pattern of unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances that continue across Nigeria despite repeated promises of reform.

Among the cases highlighted was the death of 13-year-old Timothy Daniel, who was allegedly shot in the head by a soldier on January 1, 2026, in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State.

The HRA also raised concerns over activities at the controversial Tiger Base police unit in Owerri, Imo State, which was originally created to combat kidnapping and armed robbery. According to the organisation, the facility has instead become notorious for torture, extortion and unlawful killings.

The group cited the case of Japhet Njoku, a security guard who allegedly died in Tiger Base detention in May 2025 after being beaten in his cell. It further accused officers at the facility of frustrating court-ordered autopsy proceedings on four separate occasions.

The rights body also referenced documented cases of protesters allegedly shot during the 2024 nationwide demonstrations against economic hardship and governance failures in states including Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Kaduna and Borno.

HRA Chairman, Saad Kassis-Mohamed, said Nigeria’s continued failure to prosecute officers involved in unlawful killings reflects a lack of political will rather than institutional incapacity.

“Five years after EndSARS, the killing continues and the impunity deepens,” he said. “The Federal Government must stop managing individual incidents and start dismantling the conditions that produce them. Every Nigerian who encounters a security officer is entitled to leave that encounter alive.”

The organisation noted that Section 33(1) of the Nigerian Constitution guarantees the right to life and stressed that Nigeria is also bound by international obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The HRA demanded that all officers responsible for unlawful killings be prosecuted in civilian courts, called for an independent investigation into Tiger Base and similar detention centres, and urged authorities to provide justice and compensation for the families of the victims.

The association also called for comprehensive reforms within the Nigeria Police Force, including mandatory human rights training and independent oversight mechanisms for security agencies.

The Human Rights Association is an initiative of the WeCare Foundation, a Cape Town-based organisation focused on detention rights, medical access and due process advocacy through international human rights mechanisms.