A coalition of civil society organizations has condemned the attacks launched against protesters, demanding an end to police brutality and all related abuses nationwide.
This was contained in a statement signed by Centre for
Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), Enough is Enough (EIE), Partners
for Electoral Reform, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC),
Centre for Information, Technology and Development (CITAD), Yiaga Africa and
ten others.
The coalition noted that the protest is an affirmation of
citizen’s readiness to resist bad governance in all its ramifications.
“For the avoidance of doubt, these protests are legitimate,
and young people who ignited the movement have a right to express their grievances
using the weapon of protest,” the groups stated.
“The accumulated anger of citizens over decades of failure
in the delivery of basic social services, endemic corruption, and impunity of
political office holders has precipitated distrust of, and lack of confidence
in the state and its institutions. These frustrations are visible in the
pent-up anger, which has been boiling over in mass street protests in cities
across the country.
“Collectively, we affirm the validity of the protests, and
the grievances driving the organization and mobilization of popular anger.
Police brutality in particular, and the brutality of security, armed forces,
and law enforcement agents towards citizens, in general, is a fact and a
reality that cannot be contradicted.”
The groups condemned the subtle threat issued by the
Nigerian Army, saying the move is being made to crush the peaceful protests.
“Such a threat is ill-conceived in the face of legitimate
citizens’ protest and a threat to constitutionally guaranteed rights. We call
on the military to immediately withdraw its ill-advised attempt to undermine
the constitutional freedom of citizens to voice their displeasure about the
state of the country.
“We reject in its entirety the move to draft in the military
to quell the protests, even where there has been no violent conduct on the part
of protesters. The military should remain in their barracks and at their duty
posts, defending the territorial integrity of the country, and not deployed in
a dangerous anti-people and anti-democratic operation to crush a people who are
exercising their right to freedom of association, freedom of expression, and
freedom of assembly.
“We must reiterate here that the practice of dehumanising
citizens and stripping them of their dignity, which has become ingrained in the
security and defence sectors, is a manifestation of the institutional decay and
systemic crisis of governance, and is a measure of the failure of political
leadership by Nigeria’s ruling class.
“This is why what is expected of any responsible government,
political leadership, and ruling class, is to step back and reflect and to
undertake a radical overhaul and comprehensive, root and branch reform, of the
police and policing, of the security and law enforcement agencies, as well as
of the armed forces.”
The coalition also demanded accountability for previous,
current, and ongoing acts of the brutalization of citizens from the government
and its agencies; offending officers must be identified, investigated,
prosecuted, and punished and that a mechanism is put in place to identify all
previous and current victims of police brutality, to ensure that they get
justice, including compensations.
Other demands include the unconditional release of those
arrested during the ongoing protest and that the president constitutes and
summons an emergency and inaugural meeting of the Nigeria Police Council [NPC]
provided for in the 1999 CFRN [as amended].
ActionAid Nigeria has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to
address the citizens as a matter of urgency.
The civil society organization noted the hijacking by
unknown elements with unending attacks on peaceful protesters.
Newsmen had reported the attack on the governor of Osun
State; the prison break, and destruction of government properties in Edo State
and the multitude of cars burnt in Apo, Abuja.
All these calls for concern and swift action before the
situation degenerates into full swing anarchy, AAN says in a statement signed
by its country director in Nigeria, Ene Obi.
“ActionAid Nigeria therefore calls on President Muhammadu
Buhari, to fully address the nation in a national broadcast as a ather, leader,
and the President of Nigeria, with the mandate of the people to manage the
affairs of the country and give clear-cut responses to the demands of the
protesters before it is too late. Nigerians anticipate clear plans, timelines,
and commitments, which will be in form of a pact with the citizens.”
“The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, should see this
as an opportunity to write his name in the sands of time by starting the
process of transforming this country especially by responding to the demands of
citizens.”
The organization also called on security agencies to keep
securing the streets to get “unscrupulous elements with illegitimate interests
off the peaceful protests, while respecting the rights of peaceful protesters.”
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