Tag: protest

Police Bullying of Amnesty International and Protesters Must End

YRC Warns the NPF to Desist from Bullying Amnesty International over Its Exposure of Police Misconduct and Brutal Crackdown on Peaceful Protests

We Stand by Amnesty International’s Report and Demand the Immediate Suspension of the IGP in Order to Create Room for an Independent and Transparent Probe

The Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) condemns the recent public statement issued by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) demanding an apology from Amnesty International over its report titled “Bloody August: Nigeria Government’s Violent Crackdown on #EndBadGovernance Protests” made by the group on the cruel conducts of officers of the Nigeria Police Force during and after the #Endbadgovernance protest last August. The police also demanded that Amnesty International issues a public retraction within seven days of the whole report which it dismissed as baseless, false and misleading.

We hereby warn the Nigerian Police Force to desist from bullying the Amnesty International. We also warn the NPF against any attempt to victimize workers or members of Amnesty International for daring to report the obvious truth.

As far as we are concerned, as a party accused of misconduct and a bloody crackdown, the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has no moral authority whatsoever to adjudge the veracity of the allegations made by Amnesty International in its report let alone the audacity to begin to demand public retraction and apology. The right body that can cast judgement over the veracity or otherwise of Amnesty International’s revelation is a democratically-constituted and independent panel of inquiry. That President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has failed to constitute such since last year when Amnesty International’s report came out is a clear indication that the President is shielding the police from answering for its crimes against humanity.

This becomes even more unacceptable when a body established by an Act of the National Assembly and funded from the federation account, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has already corroborated Amnesty International findings. In October last year, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Chief Tony Ojukwu SAN, in an interview with Vanguard (20 October 2024), accused the NPF of extra judicial murder of nothing less than 27 people during the protest.

So what then is false about report of the Amnesty International? Why has the police not asked the NHRC to also publicly retract their own claims and apologize for it? We reject this arm-twisting tactics by the Nigerian Police. You cannot kill innocent peaceful protesters and then turn around to begin to threaten those who boldly expose your crime.

For us, the NPF is only exhibiting blatant shamelessness and an attempt to further clamp down on dissent and cover-up the atrocities committed by its officers during the Endbadgovernance protest. The protest had the active participation of thousands of Nigerians who witnessed the gruesome attacks on them by the police – even journalists were not spared. There are numerous media reports confirming the cruelty of the NPF during the protest. The report by Amnesty International is a factual representation of the reality of Nigerians during the Endbadgovernance protests.

NPF, instead of accepting responsibility for the misconduct and attacks it carried out, is only trying to maliciously conceal the obvious truth. The so-called internal probe by the NPF force, where it falsely found itself innocent of the allegations made against it by Amnesty International and other civil society organizations like the Youth Rights Campaign, is an insult to the rationality of Nigerians. How do you become a jury in your case? We ask. The NPF is an indicted party in this case, yet it constituted a probe panel to white wash itself. The Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) rejects the so-called in-house probe and investigation by the Nigeria Police force as it is an attempt to mislead Nigerians and create justification for an attack on dissent especially the Amnesty International.

We reiterate our call for the suspension of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to allow for an impartial, independent and public probe into the conducts of the police and other security forces during the #Endbadgovernance protest in August. We also call for the setting up of an independent probe panel democratically-constituted by the elected representatives of civil society, professional groups like the media, NBA, etc, trade unions and youth associations to investigate the various allegations against the police and other security agencies which includes usage include the use of excessive force, firing of live bullets, killing of peaceful protesters, torture of detainees as well as other heinous crimes as contained in the report of Amnesty International as well as several accounts of protesters and civil society groups.

We hereby join Amnesty International and all people of good conscience in calling for immediate action to address these injustices. Specifically, we demand the following:

  1. The prosecution of all police officers and officers of all other security agencies including the DSS and the army responsible for the killings of innocent Nigerians during the protests
  2. The immediate suspension of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to allow for an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings that occurred during the #EndBadGovernance protests.
  3. The constitution of an impartial and independent panel democratically-constituted by elected representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs), the Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), trade unions and other pro-democracy organisations and youth groups to ensure transparency and accountability.
  4. The withdrawal of all trumped-up charges against #Endbadgovernance protesters on trial and the immediate release of all those still in detention detained nationwide. We also demand a halt to the continued assaults on democratic rights.
  5. Compensation for all victims of the police brutality and their families to help alleviate the impact of the tragic losses.
  6. The meeting of all demands of the #Endbadgovernance protest in August.

Francis Nwapa

National Secretary

Youth Rights Campaign

Email: youth_rights@yahoo.com

Amnesty International Report on #EndBadGovernance protest in August

* YRC calls for the suspension of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to allow for an impartial and independent probe into the reckless assault by the police on the rights to freedom of assembly especially the killing of 24 Protestors

The Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) commends Amnesty International for its detailed and impartial report titled “Bloody August: Nigerian Government’s Violent Crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protests“. This document exposes the extrajudicial killings perpetrated by the security operatives during the #EndBadGovernance protests, effectively countering the authorities’ denials of any wrongdoing. The report, which includes field research covering incidents in Kano, Jigawa, Kastina, Niger and Maiduguri, reaffirms our stance that lives were indeed lost during the protests and that these deaths were directly caused by the violent actions of security operatives.

We hereby call for the suspension of the Inspector of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to allow for an impartial, independent and public probe into the conducts of the police and other security forces during the #Endbadgovernance protest in August. We hereby reject the in-house probe ordered by the IGP as an attempt to cover up the issue. As a party indicted by the Amnesty International report, the police cannot be trusted to carry out an impartial probe. To this extent, we call for the setting up of an independent probe panel democratically-constituted by the elected representatives of civil society, professional groups like the media, NBA etc, trade unions and youth associations to investigate the various allegations against the police and other security agencies which includes usage of excessive force, firing of live bullets, killing of peaceful protesters, torture of detainees as well as other heinous crimes as contained in the report of Amnesty International as well as several accounts of protesters and civil society groups.

We are well aware that during the August protests, state-sponsored thugs attacked innocent protesters, such as those in Ojota, Lagos, and other parts of the country, while the police turned a blind eye. They made no attempt to arrest these thugs; instead, they went after peaceful protesters. This shows the disparity in treatment between law-abiding citizens and state-sponsored thugs.

Another clear indication of the government’s partiality and disregard for fundamental human rights —Such as free assembly, free speech, and free press– is its consistent cover-up of thugs and hooligans who violently disrupted peaceful proceedings during the #Endbadgovernance protests nationwide. Journalists and peaceful protesters were also harassed. For example, in Lagos, during the first day of the EndBadGovernance protest, a protester was beaten on the head with a police baton. Similarly, a journalist, Jide Oyekunle, was harassed by the police operatives while covering the protest at eagle square in Abuja while another journalist, a reporter from the Premium Times, was assaulted by police officers in Abuja, alongside other protesters who were injured and arrested. Sadly, this unlawful action of the police was not restricted to Lagos and Abuja as we saw a familiar pattern in other parts of the country where the protest took place.

We find it particularly troubling that the Inspector General of Police continues to carry on as if nothing is amiss despite that men under his command arrested children and tortured, starved and kept them in inhumane conditions, actions that are unacceptable under international law. This cruel treatment of minor is a clear violation of the Child Rights Act, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as several other international instruments to which Nigeria is signatory. As they say, impunity breeds contempt. We have no doubt that it is the failure of President Tinubu to sanction the IGP following the release of the minors that gave the Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, the temerity to make the very shocking and highly disparaging statement last week wherein he suggested that the minors should have  remained in detention contrary to the democratic norms.

We hereby join Amnesty International and all change seeking Nigerians in calling for immediate action to address these injustices. Specifically, we demand the following:

  1. The prosecution of all police officers and officers of all other security agencies including the DSS and the army responsible for the killings of innocent Nigerians during the protests.
  2. The immediate suspension of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to allow for an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings that occurred during the #EndBadGovernance protests.
  3. The constitution of an impartial and independent panel democratically-constituted by elected representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs), the Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), trade unions and other pro-democracy organisations and youth groups to ensure transparency and accountability.
  4. The dismissal of all charges against all peaceful protesters and the immediate release of all those detained nationwide. We also demand a halt to the continued assaults on democratic rights.
  5. Compensation for all victims of the violence and their families to help alleviate the impact of the tragic losses.
  6. The meeting of all demands of the #Endbadgovernance protest in August.

Francis Nwapa

National Secretary, Youth Rights Campaign

Email: yrccampaigns@gmail.com

#EndBadGovernance Movement, Lagos State Press Statement

Text of a press conference addressed by the #Endbadgovernance movement, Lagos State Chapter, on Wednesday 6 November 2024 at the International Press Centre (IPC), Ogba, to respond to the discontinuation of suit and release of 114 protesters including minors and to call for similar reprieve for all the remaining protesters in detention and on trial nationwide.

A CALL ON PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU TO WITHDRAW CHARGES AGAINST ALL #ENDBADGOVERNANCE PROTESTERS IN DETENTION AND ON TRIAL

Ladies and gentlemen of the press,

We welcome you all to this press conference organized by the #EndbadGovernance Movement Lagos State Chapter. The purpose of the press conference is to respond to the release of 114 detained protesters including minors yesterday Tuesday 5 November 2024 and to demand the dropping of charges against all the remaining protesters in detention and on trial particularly Adaramoye Michael Lenin and 10 others whose trial for treason is scheduled to commence at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday 8 November 2024.

Presenting the #Endbadgovernance Movement, Lagos State statement

Without doubt, we received with great relief the news of the release of the 114 protesters including the 32 children whose arraignment last Friday led to a national and global outrage. Mind you however, this development is not a product of President Tinubu’s magnanimity, rather it is a product of fear of the Nigerian people’s anger as well as the local and global outrage the situation generated due to the relentless campaign of groups and organizations who subjected the regime to a blistering criticism.

Left to the despotic Tinubu regime, the children would not be released. This is because the arrest and arraignment of the children for terrorism and treason was an important part of the Tinubu regime’s toolkit of intimidation tactics aimed at striking fear into the heart of the Nigerian populace and anyone who dares to oppose its anti-poor policies. Faced with the kind of mass uprising that erupted during the August protest, the regime needed very seriously to show that no one, not even children, would be spared its wrath. This is the only rational way to understand the fiasco we saw on national television and social media last week Friday when sick and malnourished children were dragged before a court of law to answer to charges of treason.

What changed the situation and caused the regime’s intimidation tactics to boomerang was the determined response of the Nigerian people. By uniting to call out the regime, we were able to force it to retreat and carry out a complete discharge of the protesters who, as at last week, had been locked up for over three months and slammed with grievous charges of treason which carries a death penalty. So, in every way, the release of the children is the first victory in our long-term struggle to rid Nigeria of bad governance and the anti-poor and neo-liberal capitalist policies that have led to unprecedented levels of hunger and hardship for our people.

Sadly, the release of the children cannot atone for the damage already done to them. During the nearly 100 days of their incarceration, the children were subjected to all kinds of ill-treatment including starvation and torture. Their rights as children were not respected in violation of all relevant provisions of the Child Rights Act as well as a host of international conventions protecting the rights of children. Not only were they detained in adult facilities and arraigned without protection for their privacy, the false and trumped-up charges of terrorism and treason leveled against them is likely to haunt them for years to come.

To this extent, we demand public apology by the government and payment of adequate compensation to the children and all detained protesters. We also call for the sack of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) under whose custody the children suffered untold ill-treatment, torture and starvation. We call for an independent probe panel composed of elected representatives of civil society organizations, trade unions and professional groups to investigate the circumstances surrounding the children’s ordeal with a view to identifying government and security officials that are directly responsible for their ill-treatment so they can be appropriately sanctioned.

The protest that erupted between 1st to 10 August 2024 due to the severe hunger and hardship unleased by President Tinubu’s anti-poor capitalist policies of subsidy removal, fuel price hike and currency devaluation was a desperate cry by Nigerian people for answers to the roaring cost of living crisis. During the protest, about 40 peaceful protesters were killed by the police and other security agents. At least about 2,100 protesters were arrested nationwide out of which hundreds are still in jail and on trial in different parts of the country as at today. For instance, on Monday 4 November 2024, 19 protesters including three minors were arraigned at a Federal High Court in Maiduguri Borno state for terrorism and treason. Similarly, 11 protesters, Adaramoye Michael Lenin and 10 others, are due back at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday 8 November 2024 for the commencement of their trial for treason.

When critically evaluated, the charges against the discharged 114 protesters and Adaramoye Michael Lenin and 10 others are broadly the same. The cases against both batches of protesters are equally ridiculous as the proof of evidence is inadequate to sustain the charges against them. For instance, Adaramoye Michael was arrested only because he happens to go by the nickname “Lenin” which is Russian. Lenin is the name of Vladimir Ilyich, the leader of the Socialist revolution in Russia in October 1917. Being a Socialist and a member of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM), Adaramoye Michael Lenin adopted this name as his nickname in line with the tradition in the students and activists movement in Nigeria. Michael has no relationship whatsoever with the Russian dictator, Putin, whose vicious capitalist regime is an antithesis of the aims of the Russian Socialist revolution of 1917.

According to the charge sheets against the 11 defendants, the proof of evidence to sustain the 6 count charge against them are the following: (1) Statement of the defendants, (2) Telephone of the suspects (3) Forensic analysis of the telephones of the suspects and call data (4) Videos CD/DVD of the riot/inciting disturbance (5) Books/Placards, pamphlets recovered (6) Photographs of properties looted and some destroyed (7) CD/DVD/flash drive of government and other properties looted/destroyed (8) Telephone call logs and handsets (9) CAC documents and other documents (10) Any other relevant exhibits.

For a group of defendants who are being tried for grievous offenses ranging from treason to mutiny, and intent to destabilize and levy war against Nigeria, you would have expected that the government would have been able to provide more convincing and incriminating evidence to prove its case like weapons and other indicators. But the truth of the matter is that the charges against the 11 protesters, just as the charges against the 114 including the children, are trumped up and false charges. There is no iota of truth to these charges which the Amnesty International has rightly described as a sham trial.

All the defendants did was to participate in peaceful protests across the country between 1 to 10 August 2024 to demand an end to hunger and hardship. If there was any grain of truth to the allegations, the regime would not have been able to withdraw the charges against the 114 protesters. This is why we are now calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to withdraw charges against Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq, Daniel Akande, Angel Love Innocent, Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi, Buhari Lawal, Bashir Bello, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaoluwa Eleojo Simon, Nuradeen Khamis and Abdulsalam Zubairu as well as all other peaceful protesters in detention and on trial nationwide. We also call for the meeting of the demands of the August protest especially regarding the reversal of fuel price hike, electricity tariff hike, hike in food prices as well as all anti-poor policies. Without meeting these demands, President Tinubu should continue to expect to see more protests and demonstrations by the Nigerian people.

To drive home our demand for the release of all #Endbadgovernance protesters on trial and in detention, we have declared Friday 8 November 2024, the day the trial of the 11 protesters for treason is scheduled to commence, a day of solidarity. On this day, we are urging the Nigerian people to demonstrate their support for the demand for freedom for all #Endbadgovernance protesters in detention and on trial. On our own part, we are going to hold a peaceful rally on this day. The rally will be held as follows:

  • DATE: Friday 8 November 2024
  • TIME: 7am
  • TAKE-OFF POINT: Ikeja Under Bridge from where we shall march to submit a petition demanding dropping of charges against all protesters on trial and unconditional release of those in detention to the Chief Judge of Lagos state for onward transmission to the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

We can also reliably inform you that the Nigerian Solidarity UK and other groups abroad are also planning a series of solidarity activities including a protest at the Nigerian High Commission in London by 5:30 pm on Friday November 8 2024 to demand the release of all protesters on trial and in detention. Similar actions will take place at the Nigerian embassy in Berlin, Germany. So, in a sense, this is going to be a day of international solidarity to mount pressure on the Tinubu regime to release peaceful protesters and also meet our demands for answers to the cost of living crisis.

In conclusion, be rest assured that we shall not relent in our struggle to end bad governance in Nigeria. Despite the intimidation and repression that we face today, the struggle of the Nigerian people shall be victorious.

Hassan Taiwo Soweto

Osugba Blessing

Oloye Adegboyega-Adeniji

For the Organising Committee, #Endbadgovernance Movement, Lagos State