Global Rights urges respect for citizens’ rights to protest

The Global Rights, a human advocacy group, restated its call on the Nigerian government to respect citizens’ right to protest and desist from further aggravating protesters in the country.

It also called on protesters to be law-abiding and peaceful in their conduct. The group equally expressed concern over the increasing wave of hate speech against certain ethnic groups.

The organisation, in a statement signed by Abiodun Baiyewu, its executive director, said: “We restate our stance because of our concern that the #EndBadGovernance protests which have swept Nigeria since August 1 continue to occasion a plethora of human rights violations and abuses.”

“Our core concern is the overzealousness of Nigerian law enforcement agents to unlawfully arrest and intimidate peaceful protesters. Worse still, their disproportionate force intimidates protesters. They have continued to deploy teargas and live ammunition to disperse protesters in Lagos, Abuja, Akwa Ibom, Kano and Nasarawa states.

“The use of these dangerous ammunition rather than non-lethal weapons to disperse protesters is highly condemnable and out of step with International human rights standards. Lethal force must always be an instrument of last resort when other tools of de-escalation have failed”.

Abiodun added that the “Nigerian law enforcement and security agents’ primary focus during peaceful protests should be to protect the protesters as they exercise their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. It is unconscionable for them to stand idly by while thugs threaten protesters and journalists who are covering the protests”.

“We are equally concerned about the #EndBadGovernance protests being used as a basis to engage in hate speech. We have observed the vitriol against certain ethnicities, in particular, the Igbos, who were threatened against participating in the protests in Lagos State solely on the grounds of their ethnicity. Social media recorded the frequent use of the hashtag #IgbosMustGo, particularly on X (formerly Twitter). This divisive hashtag re-echoes the ethnic profiling and hate speech that were propagated in Lagos around the 2019 and 2023 general elections. This sort of divisive and hateful rhetoric is a threat to the social cohesion of the entire country.

Relying on S45 (1) (a) and (b) which limit the freedom of expression in the interest of public safety and order, and Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrime Act, 2015; we call on law enforcement agents to investigate and apprehend the purveyors of this form of ethnic profiling and hate speech, and for all Nigerians call out and immediately demand accountability of those who promote such hateful and divisive language.

Ruth Tene Natsa

Ruth Tene, Assistant Editor, Agric/Solid Minerals/INEC Ruth Tene is an award-winning journalist with over 15 years experience in developmental reporting across several newsrooms, as a reporter, editor and other managerial roles. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism from the University of Maiduguri among several other certifications She has attended several trainings and certifications both locally and internationally and has been recognized for her impactful work in humanitarian reporting, receiving the Gold Award for Humanitarian Services from the Amazing Grace Foundation. She is also a recipient of the Home Alliance Fellowship, reflecting her commitment to fostering a more humane, safer and more sustainable planet. An active member of professional journalism bodies, Ruth is affiliated with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), and the Agricultural Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ACAN), where she continues to advocate for excellence, ethical reporting, and development-focused journalism.