As the planned national protest against hardship gets underway, Amnesty International is urging the Nigerian government to respect and protect the rights of #EndBadGovernance demonstrators.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Isa Sanusi, the Nigeria Director of Amnesty International, urged the government and security agencies to respect the rights of protesters and allow them to peacefully demonstrate.
“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. Government officials must also refrain from issuing rhetoric to demonise protesters and stifle peaceful dissent,” he said.
“Authorities must not use the proposed nationwide protests as a ploy to crackdown on human rights including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. People must be allowed to freely exercise their right to peaceful protest. The arrests of at least three people last week for allegedly supporting the protests on social media show the authorities’ intolerance of peaceful dissent.
“Authorities must show the commitment to upholding 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 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.” He added.
Nigeria is presently experiencing a severe economic crisis, characterised by a 36% inflation rate on food. The withdrawal of fuel subsidies in May 2023 is pushing numerous individuals into poverty, while there have been allegations of corruption against officials.
Since July 20, many individuals have resorted to social media platforms to arrange peaceful nationwide demonstrations scheduled for August 1- 10. The Nigerian authorities have described the protests as intentional efforts to incite violence.