the president Muhammadu Buhari’s consistent misuse of his powers to use
the armed security forces to emasculate civil rights of Nigerians.
The Rights group stated this in a statement by the National Coordinator
Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss.
Zainab Yusuf issued against the backdrop of the reported attacks by
armed security forces in Lagos targeting participants at a town hall
meeting titled *Revolution Now* in which the likes of the Nobel prize
for literature winner Professor Wole Soyinka and civil Rights leader
Femi Falana (SAN) amongst a plethora of other Nigerians were disallowed
from holding the scheduled peaceful assemble of pro-human rights
advocates.
“The danger in allowing the continuous deployment of military force to
stop peaceful and constructive civic engagements is that constitutional
democracy may collapse under the heavyweight of authoritarianism and the
consequences will be huge to such a level that it could result in
Nigeria becoming a massively failed state,” HURIWA submitted.
The Rights group has therefore demanded the release unconditionally of
all those arrested in connection with any form of non-violent civic
engagements because of the exercise of their fundamental freedoms
enshrined in chapter four of the 1999 constitution which absolutely do
not constitute any treason but indeed what is treasonable and obnoxious
is the persistent and illegal use of security forces by government to
crush civil rights actions by Nigerians which in some cases have
resulted in arbitrary mass arrests and illegal detention.
HURIWA cited section 39(1) “Every person shall be entitled to freedom
of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and
impart ideas and information without interference.”
Section 40 “Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and
associate with other persons, and in particular he may form or belong to
any political party, trade union or any other association for the
protection of his interests: Provided that the provisions of this
section shall not derogate from the powers conferred by this
Constitution on the Independent National Electoral Commission with
respect to political parties to which that Commission does not accord
recognition.”
Section 41(1) “Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely
throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of
Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereby or exit
therefrom.”
Section 42 (1)(2) “A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community,
ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall
not, by reason only that he is such a person:- (a) be subjected either
expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in
Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to
disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other
communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or
political opinions are not made subject; or (b) be accorded either
expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in
Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege or
advantage that is not accorded to citizens of Nigeria of other
communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or
political opinions.”
“No citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to any disability or
deprivation merely by reason of the circumstances of his birth.” HURIWA
also stated that the actions of the security forces are in clear
violations of the aforementioned constitutional provisions and that the
government is replacing constitutional democracy with an authoritarian
police state.
HURIWA recalled that Police, Nigerian Army and Department of State
Services (DSS) operatives on Monday sealed off the venue of a symposium
where Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, rights lawyer, Femi Falana
SAN, and other speakers were to speak on the insecurity situation in
Nigeria.
HURIWA recalled that the Police vehicles were positioned around the
venue located at 46 Ibijoke street, Oluyole bus-stop, Oregun, Lagos.
HURIWA quoting the conveners in a report stated that the programme
tagged “Democracy, State Repression and the State of insecurity in
Nigeria”, was organised by Coalition for Revolution (CORE) just as
HURIWA recalled that CORE, a group led by the detained 2019 presidential
candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, and its
allies, recently vowed to resume protests demanding revolution in
Nigeria.