Yemi Obafemi
Amnesty International has condemned the reported crackdown on a peaceful protest held on Monday in Abuja, calling on Nigerian authorities to respect citizens’ right to peaceful assembly.
The protest, led by activist, Omoyele Sowore, was organized to demand the unconditional release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in custody since 2021 on charges of treason and terrorism.
According to reports, security operatives responded to the demonstration with tear gas and live rounds fired into the air to disperse the crowd. At least two individuals including Kanu’s brother and lawyer were reportedly arrested during the incident.
In a statement posted on its official X handle, Amnesty International said it received “disturbing reports of attempts to crackdown on peaceful protests holding in Abuja, calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu.”
The organization stressed that “people must be allowed to freely exercise their right to peaceful protest,” warning that “any act capable of undermining freedom of assembly is illegal and portrays unacceptable intolerance of peaceful dissent.”
Amnesty International further urged Nigerian authorities to ensure that security agencies “respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, as guaranteed by both the country’s own constitution and international human rights treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Nigeria is a state party.”
