Lagos-based rights activist and lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to get all security agencies to respect the rights of citizens and embrace appropriate rules of engagement in dealing with crisis situations.

Adegboruwa stated that there are too many cases of extra-judicial killings in the land presently, especially in places like the South-East where people are reported to be missing almost or on a daily basis.

He added that “yesterday, we were all alarmed watching the invasion of the Jos Correctional Centre by criminal elements masquerading as unknown gunmen. They bombarded the facility, apparently with the sole aim of freeing some of the inmates.

“In the course of the mindless attack, some brave security men were injured and killed. There are enough provisions in our laws for anyone dissatisfied with any process to ventilate their grievances without resorting to violence. I sympathise with the families of those who lost their lives in defending our nation and condemn the unwarranted attack on the correctional centre.

“It however came to light that at least eight of the inmates were killed while trying to escape. The commandant said in an interview that they were gunned down while fleeing. The inmates were not the ones that attacked the facility but were most probably trying to take undue advantage of the opportunity of the attack to escape. That should not warrant their death,” he said.

Adegboruwa added that the right to life is sacrosanct, both on the part of the warders and also the inmates, reiterating that no one should be killed extra-judicially except and in accordance with a process sanctioned by law.

He concluded that “if some unarmed inmates are feeling to escape, the appropriate thing would be to stop their advancement through the use of minimal force but certainly not to kill them for attempting to escape.”