Don’t use protests to suppress rights, Amnesty tells Nigeria’s govt

Amnesty International has called on the Nigerian authorities to ensure security agencies respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest.

Amnesty International, through its Nigeria Director, Isa Sanusi, also called on the government to refrain from issuing rhetoric to demonise protesters and suppress peaceful dissent.

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“The Nigerian authorities must ensure that security agencies respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, as guaranteed by both the country’s own constitution and human rights treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party,” Amnesty said in a statement on Wednesday.

The non-governmental organisation also asked authorities not to use the proposed nationwide protests as a ploy to crack down on human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Amnesty also cited the arrests of at least three people last week for allegedly supporting the protests on social media as evidence of the authorities’ intolerance of peaceful dissent, noting that “people must be allowed to freely exercise their right to peaceful protest.”

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“The escalating price of food is driving millions of people in Nigeria deeper into poverty while countless families are increasingly unable to afford the costs of healthcare and education. The Nigerian authorities must begin seriously addressing the underlying issues driving the protests instead of ramping up repression and stifling peaceful dissent.”

Amnesty, however, urged authorities to uphold the country’s constitutional and international human rights obligations by allowing people to freely exercise their human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

The nationwide protest is scheduled to commence today (Thursday) in Nigeria, as citizens take to the streets to decry the escalating cost of living.

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The demonstrations, tagged #EndbadGovernanceinNigeria, have gained much online support, with Nigerians reeling from food inflation of 40% and fuel prices that have tripled since President Tinubu introduced urgent reforms.

As the protests, expected to take place in major cities including Lagos and Abuja, draw near, government officials have issued warnings, cautioning against attempts to emulate the violent demonstrations recently witnessed in Kenya.

Those protests forced the Kenyan government to reverse new tax measures. On the eve of the protests, government officials urged young activists to shun the rallies, advocating for patience and allowing time for President Tinubu’s reforms to yield tangible results.

However, protesters remain resolute, seeking immediate action to address the country’s economic woes.