LAGOS (Reuters) – Amnesty International said in a report on Thursday that Nigerian police used excessive force and shot protesters while cracking down on demonstrations in August over a cost of living crisis, killing at least 24 people.

The countrywide protests over economic hardship, also dubbed “#10DaysOfRage”, were the biggest demonstrations in Nigeria since October 2020.

The Nigeria Police Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Amnesty report. On Aug. 3, police denied killing protesters but said seven people had died.

At that time police blamed four deaths on an explosive device planted by suspected Boko Haram militants who infiltrated a crowd. Police said two people were killed after being hit by a car while marching and one man was shot by a local vigilante while trying to loot a shop.

The government, which had encouraged Nigerians not to take part in the demonstrations, has not publicly commented on the deaths of protesters.

Amnesty said in a 34-page report that it had gathered evidence from videos and photographs, death certificates and accounts from eyewitnesses. The rights group said police killed at least 24 protesters in Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kaduna, Niger, and Borno states.

“In almost all cases the victims were shot by the police – firing live ammunition at close range, often at the head or torso, suggesting that they were shooting to kill,” it added.

Amnesty said authorities should transparently and effectively investigate all allegations of attacks on protesters and bring perpetrators to justice.

Following criticism from rights groups, Nigeria earlier this month freed at least 30 minors who had been detained during the protests.

Nigeria is grappling with its worst cost of living crisis in a generation. President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, including removal of petrol and some electricity subsidies and devaluation of the naira, have added to rising costs.

(Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Frances Kerry)