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Amnesty International has called on Nigerian authorities to respect the rights of demonstrators amid an upcoming national protest against hardship. In a statement on Wednesday, Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International’s Nigeria Director, urged the government and security agencies to allow peaceful protests.
“The Nigerian authorities must ensure that security agencies respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, as guaranteed by both the country’s constitution and international 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 rhetoric that demonizes protesters and stifles peaceful dissent,” he stated.
Sanusi emphasized that the authorities should not use the proposed nationwide protests as an excuse to crack down on human rights, particularly 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.”
Highlighting the impact of rising food prices, he noted, “The escalating price of food is driving millions of people in Nigeria deeper into poverty while countless families are increasingly unable to afford healthcare and education. The Nigerian authorities must seriously address the underlying issues driving the protests instead of increasing repression and stifling peaceful dissent.”
Sanusi concluded by calling on the authorities to uphold Nigeria’s constitutional and international human rights obligations, allowing people to freely exercise their rights, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.