Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has accused President Bola Tinubu of using security agencies in the country to harass Nigerians and human rights groups simply for the peaceful exercise of their fundamental human rights.
SERAP also maintained that the federal government should face the challenges of widespread corruption in the oil sector, the worsening economic situation in the country, reducing the cost of governance, and stop targeting individuals and organisations who advocate for reforms in these areas.
The organisation, which stated this in an open letter dated October 19, 2024, and signed by its deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, further asked President Tinubu to direct the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately withdraw the defamation suit filed by two operatives of the DSS against it and its management staff.
SERAP insisted that if the lawsuit is not immediately withdrawn, it will be prepared to defend itself in court by joining the government and DSS and calling witnesses to ensure justice, end impunity for rights abuses, and achieve legitimate public interests.
The civil society organisation claimed that the two DSS officials who filed the suit are unknown to it and that they were instigated and sponsored by the DSS to undertake the action.
It pointed out that human rights defenders, activists, journalists and other citizens must be able to organise and freely exercise their human rights without the threat of baseless lawsuits by the government or its security agencies and their proxies.
SERAP also stressed that weaponising the security agencies to intimidate, harass and silence human rights defenders, activists, journalists and other civil society actors will weaken representative democracy, deepen impunity and undermine the rule of law.
The organisation advised that rather than misusing the security agencies to crack down on human rights defenders, activists, journalists and other civil society actors, the government should thoroughly, independently, impartially, transparently and effectively investigate the allegations raised by it.
SERAP expresses disappointment that the government has so far failed to respond to its recommendations, calling on it to direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to immediately reverse the illegal and unconstitutional increase in the pump price of petrol across its retail outlets.
It also accused the government of failing to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the NNPC, including the spending of the reported $300 million ‘bailout funds’ collected from the Federal Government in August 2024 and the $6 billion debt it owes suppliers, despite allegedly failing to remit oil revenues to the treasury and to prosecute suspected perpetrators.
SERAP states, “Your government also continues to refuse to obey several court judgments obtained by SERAP, including those which ordered the Federal Government to disclose the details of the agreement with X, formerly Twitter, to assess whether the deal complies with the exercise of Nigerians’ human rights online and to account for payments of N729 billion to 24.3 million poor Nigerians for six months.
“SERAP had on 9 September 2024 also called on you and your government to direct the DSS to end the intimidation and harassment of our organisation and our staff members.
“Our call followed the invasion of our Abuja office by some officials of the DSS. SERAP was subsequently served with a defamation lawsuit with number CV/4547/24.
“The country under your government has witnessed an escalating crackdown on human rights, particularly the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association and media freedom, and socio-economic rights.
“The judicial harassment of those who peacefully defend human rights is entirely inconsistent and incompatible with the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international human rights obligations.
“Under your government, human rights defenders, activists, journalists and other civil society actors, such as the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), continue to face harassment, intimidation, and arbitrary detention simply for carrying out their legitimate work.
“The judicial harassment of SERAP by your government and its agencies shows hostility towards civil society actors defending the rights of other citizens, criticising human rights violations, and challenging a culture of impunity for perpetrators.
“SERAP, therefore, urges your government to end the intimidation, harassment and threats against our organisation and management staff and other human rights defenders, activists as well as journalists and other civil society actors, including intimidation, through baseless legal processes.
“SERAP strives to ensure that our human rights and anticorruption work meet the highest standards of analytical rigour devoid of politics. Our work is driven solely by the fundamental principles of justice, impartiality, solidarity and universality of human rights. SERAP believes that no government is beyond scrutiny and accountability.
“SERAP’s non-partisan work in human rights and anticorruption has been widely recognised nationally and internationally. Our organization received the Wole Soyinka Anti-Corruption Defender Award in 2014 and was nominated for the UN Civil Society Award and Ford Foundation’s Jubilee Transparency Award. SERAP was also nominated for the 2024 Columbia Global Freedom of Expression Prize.
“Our organisation’s calls on your government regarding the persistent increases in fuel prices and allegations of corruption in the NNPC are based on the constitutional and international responsibilities of your government to Nigerians who are victims of corruption and your constitutional oath of office.
“SERAP believes that it is through action like this that any government in a society governed by the rule of law can be motivated to live up to its commitments and to meet the expectations of its citizens for good governance, human rights and the rule of law.
“SERAP urges your government to embrace the rule of law, and this will entail respect for the human rights of Nigerians. Where there is a culture of rule of law, there is likely less corruption.
“Without embracing the rule of law, your government is unlikely to achieve your oft-repeated economic and development programmes since the rule of law is the foundation of any civilised society,” SERAP stated.
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