Protest Is Not A Crime, Nigerians Tell Federal Government

Nigeria, right from its pre-colonial era, has experienced different types of protests starting from the December 6, 1929 Aba women’s riot in eastern Nigeria down to the most recent ones, hash-tagged “End Bad Governance Protest In Nigeria” which took place between the 1st to 10th of August and October 1st, 2024.

The End-Bad-Governance-protest, for instance, as claimed by the organisers, was a nationwide protest over the rising cost of living since the beginning of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in May 2023. They say the protests was mainly over fuel subsidy removal, hike in electricity tariffs and customs duties as well as hunger and insecurity among other.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in its bid to stop the violation of the rights of protesters, warned that protest should not be tainted as a crime. The Executive Secretary of NHRC, Tony Ojukwu condemned the deliberate use of force and disregard for the rights to peaceful protest and assembly as exhibited by the federal government and its law enforcement agencies during the recent #EndBadGovernance protest held across the country.

The NHRC boss lamented that some of the protesters have been charged to court, noting with grave concern that they were detained beyond the period allowed by law before being taken to court. He urged that government should not attempt to stop protest but guide it, adding that they should not lump genuine protesters with criminals.

“You don’t arrest and detain people for protest. Looting and destruction of properties are not protest but act of criminalities which should not be regarded as part of peaceful protests,” he stressed.

Also the pan-Nigerian social welfarist body, Afenifere has expressed worries over government’s stance on the labelling of hunger protest in Nigeria as treasonous offence, saying it betrays inalienable rights of citizens to make logical demand.

The group argued that government can’t jail Nigerians feeling the pain and protesting its debilitating economic policies and fuel shortages due to what it described as a privatised NNPC that has privatised its retail wing to those monopolising petrol stations.

Afenifere, expressed their concern through a press release by its deputy national leader, HRM Oba Oladipo Olaitan, and signed by Prince Justice Faloye, National Publicity Secretary.

They called for the immediate unconditional release of ‘Hunger Protesters’ charged with treason. The body also advise the federal government from descending into dictatorship by criminalising the indisputable right to protest.