1,200 #EndBadGovernance protesters arrested – NHRC

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday, disclosed that 1,200 #EndBadGovernance protesters have been arrested and detained by security agencies across the country.

While the Commission lamented that some of the protesters have been charged to court, it noted with grave concern that they were detained beyond the period permitted by the Constitution of the country before being taken to court.

Presenting its July and August, 2024 human rights report in Nigeria, Mr. Hillary Ogbona, the Senior Human Rights Adviser to the Executive Secretary of the NHRC said, a total of 414, 200 complaints against human rights abuses were received by the Commission across the country in the last two months.

The Commission, while presenting its 8th human rights situation dashboard insisted that protest is not a crime in Nigeria but a legitimate way of expressing grievance against unfavourable government policies and programmes.

He said, “Government should not attempt to stop protest but to guide it. At the same time, Government should not lump genuine protesters with criminals.

“Looting and destruction of private and public properties are not protests but acts of criminalities which should not be regarded as part of peaceful protests.

“From this side, it is a fact that private and public properties were looted during the last protest and we hereby appeal to the government to identify and evaluate the losses of victims for the purpose of supporting them as some of the victims may not be able to rise again”, he added.

He appealed to the Government to adopt a human rights approach to lawful protest and that government should endeavour to look into the root cause of protests in the country, which he said may not be far from the economic and political situation in the country.

The NHRC specifically pleaded with the Federal Government to learn how to manage protests as a lawful way for aggrieved Nigerians to state their position to avoid anarchy in the country.

The senior human rights Adviser said the Commission is monitoring the prosecution of the protesters in court, adding that, in charging them with treason, the government must get its intelligence and facts clear in the allegations.

According to Ogbona, the Commission had, in the last two months, witnessed astronomical increase in mass killings, abductions, attacks on Police stations, attacks on press freedom, violation of the rights of association and assembly, killing of law enforcement and members of the Armed Forces, cases of violence against children, minors and child abandonment.

He said, that between July and August, a total of 142 killings were recorded in Kaduna, 137 in Benue, Katsina recorded 112 killings and 76 killings recorded in Plateau state.

Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof Tony Ojukwu, SAN condemned the use of brutal force by security agents against the protesters last month.

While pointing out that the #EndBadGovernance protest was people’s quest for good governance, the NHRC boss urged the government to take sustainable action to ensure the protection of the people affected by displacement.