Amnesty condemns violent attacks on Atiku campaign convoy in Kebbi

Global human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has condemned the violent attacks on the campaign convoys of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kebbi State on Thursday, warning that a rising wave of political repression is threatening democratic freedoms across Nigeria.

The condemnation followed an analysis of video footage by the rights group documenting coordinated assaults by armed gangs who blocked roads, struck opposition members with cutlasses, and severely vandalised campaign vehicles.

The campaign convoy of the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was attacked by suspected political thugs.

The group said in one verified recording from Argungu Local Government Area, suspected political thugs were seen hunting down opposition figures, beating them severely, and destroying their transport.

The attackers, armed with knives and machetes, also pelted the convoys with stones and bottles.

It said journalists accompanying the political train were not spared. According to the group, armed thugs deliberately targeted media personnel, destroying cameras and broadcast equipment in what observers describe as an attempt to prevent the documentation of the violence.

The human rights watchdog stated that the assault in Kebbi—coming just days after a similar bloody confrontation targeting ADC campaigners in neighbouring Sokoto State—points to a coordinated pattern of intimidation designed to suppress political pluralism.

“Clearly, a brutal campaign of repression against the opposition and its supporters is increasingly making it extremely difficult for them to exercise their rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly,” the organisation said in a statement, emphasising that no citizen should face harm or death for participating in peaceful political activities.

Amnesty International also faulted Nigerian security agencies and federal authorities for recurring operational failures and a persistent lack of accountability.

According to the organisation, security operatives have consistently failed to deter or halt attacks on opposition gatherings across several states, including Niger, Kaduna, Edo, and Enugu.

The group warned that continued impunity for sponsored political thuggery undermines Nigeria’s constitutional democracy and cultivates a toxic atmosphere of fear ahead of crucial electoral contests.

It urged authorities to investigate the Kebbi incident immediately, bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to justice, and guarantee adequate protection for all political actors regardless of party affiliation.