Amnesty International has sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu for the violent suppression of #EndHunger protesters, as well as the recent raid on the offices of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and the National Labour Congress (NLC).
In a statement released on Friday, the organization highlighted that the crackdown on demonstrators and the raid of civil society offices reflect the president’s “disregard for human rights and determination to crush dissent.”
“The violent suppression of nationwide protests against hunger since August 1, coupled with attacks on civil society organizations, are alarming signs of President Bola Tinubu’s government’s blatant disregard for human rights and its efforts to silence dissent,” Amnesty International stated.
They described the “unlawful invasion” of the CDHR office in Ikeja, Lagos, occurring mere days after the NLC headquarters was raided, as a troubling escalation in the attack on freedom of association.
“The shrinking civic space in Nigeria is creating an environment of fear that could endanger activists, human rights defenders, civil society organizations, and journalists,” they warned.
Before the raids on the CDHR and NLC offices by security forces, Amnesty International had already condemned the Nigerian police for using live ammunition against protesters, resulting in over 20 fatalities since the economic hardship demonstrations began on August 1.
Despite this, the Nigerian police have denied any allegations of causing deaths during the protests, even as videos emerged showing them firing at demonstrators.
In the meantime, the Take It Back Movement, a leading organizer of the 10-day #EndBadGovernance protests, announced its plans for a significant grand finale of the nationwide demonstrations addressing economic challenges under President Tinubu’s administration.
The group reiterated its demands, including the reversal of fuel subsidy removal and urgent action to combat the food crisis, while also calling for justice for protesters who were killed by Nigerian security forces during the protests.
