Amnesty International Condemns Attack on Peaceful Protesters

…Calls for immediate release of arrested activists

Amnesty International (AI), has called on the Federal Government to uphold the right to peaceful protest, as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and international treaties like the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The international human rights organization particularly stressed that security forces in the country must facilitate peaceful assemblies rather than suppress them.

Amnesty International which stated these on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, following the arrest of five activists in Kano, stressed that the arrests highlighted a troubling trend of intolerance towards dissent by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration.

It said; “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.

“People must be allowed to freely exercise their right to peaceful protest. The arrest of five activists by the police in Kano yesterday shows the authorities’ intolerance of peaceful dissent”.

Amnesty International noted that the ongoing economic crisis, marked by soaring food prices, has fueled public discontent, making it crucial for authorities to respect citizens’ rights to express grievances peacefully.

In spite of the words of caution by Amnesty International, the Nigerian security agencies attacked peaceful hunger protesters in Lagos, Port Harcourt, and other states who were demonstrating against the country’s economic hardship on the Independence Day celebration.