The Committee for
the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) condemns the repressive actions by men of
the Nigerian Police following their brazen attacks on members of a civil
society group, OurMumuDonDu, on Tuesday 8th August, 2017, at the
Millennium Park, Abuja.
Members of
the group assembled at the Park, peacefully expressing their opinion over the
continued absence of the Nigeria President the President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria; their President, our President.
CDHR described the
attacks by the Police, which resulted in varying degrees of injuries after
inhaling tear gas and other poisonous substances indiscriminately shot into the
air to diaparse the protesters. Surely this was repulsively reckless and a
gross abuse of the rights of the citizens. Sections
39 and 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) (As
Amended) clearly recognise and protect the protesters’ fundamental Rights
to freely express themselves and associate. The rights to the dignity of the
human person S.34(1) also came under serious siege. The attack was simply an
assault on peaceful protesters causing physical injuries and destruction of
personal belongings and property; it was indeed condemnable in the strongest
terms.
CDHR considered the
excuse of infiltration by hoodlums, by the Force Public Relation Officer (FPRO)
in justification of the attacks, as simply an afterthought meant to create some
defence of their misadventure. CDHR declared such excuse as utterly
unacceptable.
The CDHR regrets
that after (18) Eighteen years of nurturing the democratic ideals of civil
rights, fundamental freedoms and rule of law, the Nigerian Police is still
manifestly despotic, uncivil and lacking in the posture of modern democratic
policing which is largely intelligence based. The CDHR called for immediate
reorientation in the Nigerian Police to imbibe and display more civility in
their operations.
Upholding and
defending the rights of citizens to fundamental Freedoms anywhere in Nigeria,
CDHR urges the Police, other security agencies and State actors to refrain from
all forms of Human Rights abuses and rather demonstrate reasonable commitment
to addressing the disturbing security situation in the country in order to
safeguard lives and property. The high incidence of mob and extra judicial
killings going on in Lagos against suspected kidnappers in additionally to other
security challenges across the country should be enough to preoccupy the
Nigeria Police Force instead of attacking armless and innocent Nigerian citizen
who are merely exercise their civic responsibilities and giving concrete
expressions to the fundamental rights. It should be noted that the presumption
of innocence still inures in favour of every Nigerian until otherwise
established by a competent court of law in accordance with S. 36(5) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
(1999). Understandably, events of the last few days underscores the
collapse of confidence of the Nigerian people in the due process of law.
Similar situation
played out on the 10th of August, 2017 in Lagos when a group of Akwa
Ibom State indigenes generally protesting against the mismanagement of the
sources of their state were malhandled by the Lagos State Police Command. This
rising incidence of repression by security agents of this present
administration reinforces the notion that they are gradually losing grip of the
situation of affairs in the country and must stop. Very many Nigerian suffered
and paid dearly to retrieve these fundamental rights from the ruling political
class. In fact, in the notorious case of IGP
Vs. ANPP (2007) 18 NWLR (Pt. 1066) P. 457 the Court of Appeal struck down
the Public Order Act by which judgement any Nigeria can embark on any peaceful
protest or march without the permission of the Nigerian Police. The refusal of
the Nigeria Police to accept this as the position of the law remains
challenging to comprehend.
Security agencies
and the Government must respect the rights and fundamental freedom of citizens
and must take steps to protect lives and property.
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