A civil rights organisation, Justice Minded (JUSMind), has condemned the arrest and continued detention of human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, and several other protesters who participated in the recent #FreeNnamdiKanuNow demonstration in Abuja.
In a statement on Thursday by its Convener, Adeoye Ade-Adewummi, the group described the arrests as "unlawful, politically repressive, and a direct assault on Nigeria's democracy," while demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained.
JUSMind accused the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) of violating the protesters' constitutional rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, saying that such rights are guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution.
The group faulted the police justification that Sowore led demonstrators into a "restricted area," calling the explanation "legally baseless and morally indefensible."
"The right to peaceful protest is not a privilege granted by the state, it is a constitutional guarantee that no authority can suspend for political convenience," the statement read in part.
The organisation issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Federal Government and police authorities to release Sowore and the detained protesters, warning that failure to do so would trigger nationwide and diaspora-led civic actions.
JUSMind also urged the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), and global human rights organisations to intervene and hold the Nigerian government accountable for what it described as a "pattern of repression and shrinking civic space."
The group further called on the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Assembly Committees on Human Rights to investigate what it termed "abuse of power and excessive use of force" by security operatives during the protest.
"History has shown that the will of the people is stronger than the machinery of repression.The judiciary must resist manipulation and remain the last refuge for the oppressed," the statement added.
The arrest of Sowore has drawn widespread condemnation from within and outside Nigeria.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Amnesty International, and several civil society groups have all demanded his release, describing his detention as an attack on democratic freedoms and the rule of law.
Comments
Post a Comment