By Miriam Humbe
No fewer than 67 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have signed a statement urging the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to end escalating crackdown on activists human rights, journalists and others peacefully exercising their human rights.
The CSOs strongly referenced the alleged threat of a legal action against the Amnesty International by the Nigeria Police Force.
Recall that the Nigeria Police Force had issued a statement urging the Amnesty International to publicly apologise and retract the ‘falsehood’ report it published titled: “Nigeria: Bloody August: Nigerian government’s violent crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protests.”
Police authorities found the Amnesty International report to be in bad taste, and capable of hurting its reputation.
Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi in a statement to the Nigerian media said: “The Nigeria Police Force strongly believes that this misleading publication undermined the trust and confidence it has worked diligently to build with Nigerian citizens and residents.
“The Force further underscored that such false claims harmed the reputation of the Organisation (Police) and demoralised its officers who risked their lives to protect the public.
“In light of these falsehoods, the NPF has therefore demanded that Amnesty International issues a formal retraction and public apology within seven days.
“Failure to comply will prompt the NPF to consider legal actions to protect its reputation.
“The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to its duty of safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians, upholding the law, and earning the trust of the people it serves.”
Here’s a full text of the CSOs Demands:
We, the undersigned civil society organizations are seriously concerned about the ongoing intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International in Nigeria by the Nigeria police force and call on the government of President Bola Tinubu to end the escalating crackdown on activists, human rights, journalists and other Nigerians simply for peacefully exercising their human rights.
We note that the Nigeria Police Force in a letter dated 6th January 2025 threatened Amnesty International with a purported legal action over the organization’s recent report titled: “Nigeria: Bloody August: Nigerian government’s violent crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protests.”
We also note that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) reported that 27 protesters were killed by the Police while about 800 people were arrested during the #EndBadGovernance protests across the country in August 2024.
Several protesters were reportedly detained without charges or trial. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN also reported that some 22 protesters were killed while over 2,000 protesters were arrested during the protests in several States.
We are seriously concerned that rather than promptly, thoroughly, impartially, independently and effectively investigating these grave allegations of human rights violations and abuses, bringing suspected perpetrators to justice and ensuring effective remedies and adequate compensation for victims and their families, the Police is deliberately intimidating, threatening and targeting Amnesty International.
The intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International coming after the recent reports of intimidation and harassment of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), and in the context of the ongoing repression of civic space and attacks against activists, human rights defenders, and journalists demonstrates an alarming crackdown on civic space and human rights in Nigeria.
We are concerned that the intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International have seriously undermined the space for activists, human rights defenders, journalists and other Nigerians to carry out their legitimate human rights activities and work, and to freely associate and express themselves.
We are concerned that Nigerian authorities continue to disregard their obligations under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the human rights treaties including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which the country is a State party.
We stand in solidarity with Amnesty International. The intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International and escalating crackdown on the human rights movement in the country must end.
We call on the government of President Bola Tinubu to direct the Nigeria Police Force to immediately end its ongoing intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International and to allow the organization to freely carry out its human rights work in the country without any fear of reprisals.
We call on the Tinubu administration to thoroughly, impartially, independently and effectively investigate the grave allegations of human rights violations and abuses in the context of the #EndBadGovernance protests.
The administration must ensure that those suspected to be responsible are brought to justice promptly and that victims and their families are provided with access to justice and effective remedies. We call on the Tinubu administration to immediately take measures to ensure a conducive environment where civil society organizations, activists, human rights defenders, journalists and other Nigerians will feel safe to carry out their work and exercise their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.
We call on the Tinubu administration to immediately halt all acts of repression, judicial harassment and intimidation against activists, human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organisations.
We call on the Tinubu administration to end its ongoing crackdown on human rights including the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly and to respect the human rights of everyone and rule of law in Nigeria.
Signed:
1. 21st Century Community Empowerment for Youth Initiative
2. Accountability Lab, Nigeria
3. Abuja School of Social and Political Thought
4. Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ)
5. African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD)
6. African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL)
7. Amnesty International Nigeria
8. Borno Coalition for Democracy and Progress (BOCODEP)
9. BudgIT Foundation
10. Center for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity
11. Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)
12. Centre for Community Empowerment in Conflict and Peacebuilding – Kaduna
13. Centre for Democratic Research and Training (CRDDERT)
14. Centre for Global Tolerance and Human Rights
15. Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)
16. Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)
17. Centre for Social Centre for Justice Reform
18. Centre for Transparency Watch
19. Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)
20. CLEEN Foundation
21. Community Life Project (CLP)
22. Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR)
23. Connected Development (CODE)
24. Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA)
25. Elixir Trust Foundation
26. Emma Ezeazu Centre for Good Governance and Accountability
27. Environmental Rights Action
28. Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA)
29. Falana and Falana’s Chambers
30. Global Rights
31. Good Governance Team
32. Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)
33. Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre)
34. Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation
35. INVICTUS AFRICA
36. Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre
37. Lawyers Alert
38. Media Initiative for Transparency in Extractive Industries (MITEI)
39. Media Rights Agenda
40. Mothers and Marginalized Advocacy Centre (MAMA Centre)
41. Nigeria Network of NGOs
42. Open Society on Justice Reform Project
43. Order Paper
44. Organization for Community Civic Engagement (OCCEN)
45. Partners West Africa
46. Policy Alert
47. Praxis
48. Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA)
49. Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative
50. Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED)
51. RULAAC – Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre
52. Say NO Campaign – Nigeria
53. Say No Campaign
54. Sesor Empowerment Foundation
55. Social Action
56. Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre
57. Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)
58. State of the Union (SOTU)
59. Tax Justice and Governance Platform
60. Transition Monitoring Group (TMG)
61. West Africa Civil Society Forum (WASCSOF)
62. Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC)
63. Women in Media Communication Initiative (WIM)
64. Women in Mining, Nigeria
65. World Impact Development Foundation
66. Yiaga Africa
67. Zero Corruption Coalition (ZCC)
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