A Coalition of civil rights groups comprising Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organisation (GAFAMORG), National Coalition Against Mass Killings, Extra-Judicial Killings, Mob Actions and Impunity (NCAMKI), and the National Democratic Security Reform Coalition (NDSRC), has called for the establishment of a national framework to tackle extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths across the country.

The organisations, which are registered participants in the forthcoming Southern and National Civil Society Organisations Summit 2026, welcomed what they described as every sincere effort to rebuild the nation.

They also demanded the establishment of an independent civilian oversight mechanism for security agencies, a national action plan against mob violence and jungle justice, and stronger protection for civic space and freedom of expression.

The groups further called for greater protection of journalists, human rights defenders and whistleblowers, mandatory civil society participation in drafting summit communiqués and implementation frameworks, as well as annual public accountability reports on security, justice and human rights indicators.

The demands were contained in a joint statement titled, “Civil Society Was Created to Speak for the People, Not to Decorate Power,” signed on behalf of the three organisations by Babatunde Agunbiade, Dr Bode Ojomu and Bayo Ogunleye, respectively.

The groups declared that civil society organisations were not established to applaud governments, endorse official narratives, or provide democratic cover for those in power.

Rather, civil society was born in struggle, forged in resistance, exists to stand between the ordinary citizen and the excesses of power, and “to defend liberty against tyranny, justice against oppression, and truth against propaganda.”

They questioned whether the forthcoming summit would genuinely reflect the voices of ordinary Nigerians or merely amplify those of the political elite.

The organisations argued that Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of conferences but from a lack of justice, accountability, and political courage.

According to them, innocent Nigerians continue to lose their lives in villages, on highways, and in communities, while impunity persists.

“Extrajudicial killings continue,” they added. “Mob justice continues; custodial deaths continue; communities continue to bury their dead, while perpetrators enjoy protection under the cloak of authority and impunity. This must end.”

The groups stressed that Nigerians were not seeking sympathy or pity but demanding justice, accountability and full citizenship in their own country, insisting that any conversation on peace and security that ignores justice is meaningless, while intelligence reform without civilian oversight is dangerous.

They also argued that national unity without equity is deceptive, and that development without accountability amounts to “corruption wearing a necktie.”

More so, the organisations rejected what they described as the growing tendency to turn independent civic institutions into extensions of political authority, stating that, “civil society must never become a department of government, an industry of awards and photographs, or a marketplace where conscience is exchanged for access.

“Its duty is courage, resistance and vigilance. Its responsibility is to stand with the people, even when doing so is inconvenient, unpopular, or dangerous.”

The groups insisted that if Nigeria is truly to come first, then, rather than government officials, political parties, bureaucracies, or vested interests, “the widow, the unemployed youth, victims of violence, the detainees awaiting justice, the constitution must come first.”

They further noted that the time for polite silence has passed, and the time for organised civic resistance, accountability, and justice has arrived, adding, “if standing for justice means standing alone, then we shall stand alone until others find the courage to stand with us.”