AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION ON THE LEKKI TOLL GATE SHOOTING DURING THE 2020 ENDSARS PROTESTS IN NIGERIA

This project critically examines the role of Amnesty International in promoting human rights protection during the Lekki Toll Gate shooting of the 2020 #EndSARS protests in Nigeria. It examined the extent to which government actions in Nigeria influenced the capacity of the organization to record and report acts of human rights violation and also assessed the role played by advocacy of the Amnesty International on ensuring that accountability was maintained. The study was informed by the Human Rights Accountability Theory, which had been pioneered in the United Nations in 1948. It used ex post facto research design, qualitative methods of data collection and a content analysis of the corresponding information. The results of the study show that, despite government denials, cover-ups, and obstruction, Amnesty International’s verified evidence from social media footage, photographs, and eyewitness testimonies directly indicted the Nigerian Army and Police for the killing of peaceful protesters. Through persistent advocacy, public statements, and critical reports, AI kept the Lekki Toll Gate shootings at the forefront of domestic and international discourse, compelling the establishment of judicial panels that further implicated state security forces. On these findings, the study suggests that the Nigerian government should enhance open and friendly contacts with the human rights organizations. It also adds that efforts should be made to strengthen legal protection on human rights that can ensure the liberty of civil society groups since it is critical to encourage an effective movement of human rights and ensure accountability in Nigeria