The Government should explore using the new sanctions regime that allows individuals and entities that violate human rights around the world to be targeted, to impose sanctions on members of the Nigerian government and police force involved in any human rights abuses by the Nigerian police.

There have been deeply concerning reports of a Nigerian police force unit (SARS) engaging in illegal activities and human rights abuses, and there have also been reports (with evidence) of Niegrian Army and police firing at peaceful protestors calling for SARS to be disbanded #endsars

Several people were killed as Nigerian soldiers opened fire at a key protest site in Lagos, witnesses said, as the government sought to end two weeks of marches against police brutality that have mushroomed into broader nationwide demonstrations.

President Muhammadu Buhari, a former general, has said little about the protest movement that has evolved from a single-issue campaign into a more diffuse protest against alleged government corruption, economic mismanagement and nepotism.

Deploying sanctions would provide accountability for and be a deterrent to anyone involved in violations of human rights.