Global human rights watchdog, Amnesty International (AI), has condemned the reported use of force and mass arrests during ongoing protests in Abuja on Monday demanding the release of detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Monday, Amnesty International Nigeria said it had received “disturbing reports of attempts to crackdown on peaceful protests holding in Abuja,” urging authorities to immediately release those arrested.
“Those arrested must be released immediately. People must be allowed to freely exercise their right to peaceful protest. Any act capable of undermining freedom of assembly is illegal and portrays unacceptable intolerance of peaceful dissent,” the organisation stated.
Amnesty International also called on Nigerian authorities to ensure that security agencies respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest as guaranteed under both national and international laws.
“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,” the group added.
The organisation further urged the government to demonstrate genuine commitment to upholding constitutional and international human rights obligations, including freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.
“Authorities must show a commitment to upholding the country’s constitutional and international human rights obligations by allowing people to freely exercise their human rights,” it said.
LEADERSHIP reports that Monday’s protests turned chaotic earlier in the day when police fired tear gas to disperse crowds of commuters and demonstrators around key intersections.
The Nigeria Police Force had on Saturday warned that any protest violating the court’s directive would be deemed unlawful, cautioning organisers against allowing “hijackers” to exploit the situation.
Kanu, leader of the secessionist IPOB movement, has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest in 2021 and on trial for alleged terrorism ever since.
