‘Police Deny Summary Executions Report’

By Felix Oloyede with Agency reports

Police authorities yesterday denied allegations by Human Rights Watch that the police and army troops carried out more than 90  summary executions in suppressing violent political and religious rioting in the city of Jos.
Hundreds of people were killed on November 28 and 29 during clashes between Christians and Muslims in reaction to a disputed local election results. Human Rights Watch reportedly said over the weekend that mainly Muslim men and youths were gunned down by men in uniform on the orders of the Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang.
Agberiebi Akpoebi, the assistant commissioner and force public relations officer for the area told newsmen that the claims by Human Rights Watch were not true.
“In Jos, we actually did witness riots in which different groups which were opposed to themselves politically attacked  each other resulting in some deaths and the destruction of property. The security agencies, that's the police and the armed forces did not carry out any summary executions, but they did ensure that everything was done to stop further killings and the destruction of property,” he said.
Human Rights Watch reportedly said the vast majority of the killings were carried out by a special unit called the Police Mobile Force.
Akpoebi acknowledged the presence of the Police Mobile Force but said they did not carry out any summary executions as alleged by Human Rights Watch.
Although he said he has not read the report, Akpoebi described it as an imagination of Human Rights Watch.