This 40-page report documents killings, arrest, detention, ill-treatment, torture and other forms of harassment and intimidation of real or perceived critics of the government over the past two years. Most of these abuses have been carried out by the Nigerian police or by members of the intelligence services known as the State Security Service (SSS). Brutal measures have been used to repress critical expression. In the most serious cases, people have been shot dead simply for exercising their right to protest. During massive public protests in July at an increase in the price of fuel, between 12 and 20 people were shot dead by the police in Lagos, in the oil city of Port Harcourt, and on the outskirts of Abuja. The victims included peaceful protestors and passersby who were not even involved in the protests.