Amnesty International has called on the Nigerian authorities to uphold human rights and respect the right to peaceful protest as Nigerians commence nationwide protests over food shortages and the cost of living crisis on Thursday.
The Country Director, Amnesty International, Isa Sanusi, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
“The Nigerian authorities must ensure that security agencies respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, as guaranteed by both the country’s constitution and human rights treaties,” Sanusi said.
He warned that the authorities must not use the protests as a pretext to crack down on human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“People must be allowed to freely exercise their rights to peaceful protest,” he emphasised.
Sanusi also expressed concern over the arrest of at least three people last week for allegedly supporting the protests on social media.
This, he said, showed the authorities’ intolerance of peaceful dissent.
With Nigeria facing a crippling economic crisis, including a 36 per cent inflation rate on food, Sanusi urged the authorities to address the underlying issues driving the protests instead of stifling peaceful dissent.
He said, “Authorities must show commitment to uphold the country’s constitutional and international human rights obligations by allowing people to freely exercise their human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.”
The nationwide protests are planned for August 1-10, 2024, with many people using social media platforms to organise and mobilise more participants.
While some people have labelled the protests as attempts to unleash violence, Sanusi stressed that the right to peaceful protest must be respected.