The nation is currently plagued by a wave of insecurity in many parts that has claimed thousands of lives and displacement of tens of thousands.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary on Friday, May 28, 2021, Amnesty said the current government's failure to protect lives is the same as the failure of past governments to do the same.

The human rights watchdog started working in Nigeria in 1967, just one month before the start of the Civil War that led to the death of at least two million civilians.

Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, in a statement on Friday, said human rights in Nigeria has not improved much since the years of the devastating war.

She noted that the nation still experiences flagrant disregard for human rights, with state-sanctioned suppression of those rights.

Ojigho said Nigerian authorities have failed to put an end to incessant killings of citizens by failing to bring suspected perpetrators to justice.

"From the days of military's heavy-handed rule to the years of civil rule and up to today violation of human rights by both state actors and abuses by non-state actors continue to be matters of concern," she said. 

Amnesty noted that the recent alarming escalation of attacks, including killings and abductions of people for ransom, has left millions of Nigerians feeling unsafe.

The watchdog also lamented about the history of violent crackdowns on peaceful protests in the country, citing last October's peaceful #EndSARS protest as the latest example.

Ojigho said the violent crackdown on peaceful protests by security forces and sponsored thugs is undermining the right to assembly in the country, and impacting on other rights.

"Protest is not a crime and Nigerians must be able to assemble peacefully and express themselves without fear," she said.

Amnesty said the Nigerian leadership is failing in its constitutional and international human rights obligations to ensure access to justice for victims of crimes.

It said failure to punish violators is a stain on Nigeria's image, and that the nation's law enforcement and judicial system must be empowered to deliver justice.