2nd August, 2024

Day 1 of the
#EndBadGovernanace Protests: Refrain from Further Aggravation!

Global Rights calls on the Nigerian government to
respect its citizens’ right to protest and desist from further aggravating
protesters across the country. It also calls on protesters to be law-abiding
and peaceful in their conduct.

We note that the first day of the
#EndBadGovernance Protest was fraught with violence both on the side of the
government and protesters, with several incidents of violence and human rights
violations. Initial reports indicate that at least 20 people are dead following the protests.

The protests, which are a manifestation of
citizens’ frustration with the government and political class’
maladministration of the country’s assets, economy, and security, began on the 1st of August 2024 and its organisers
have estimated that it may last for 10 days. economy, and security, began on the 1st of August 2024 and its organisershave estimated that it may last for 10 days.

have estimated that it may last for 10 days.

It is important to acknowledge that the
protesters are not being flippant. Nigeria is facing one of its worst
inflations, exacerbating the quality of life of more than 63% of its
population, which the nation’s Bureau of Statistics describes as being multidimensionally
poor. The inflation has aggravated the twin maladies of deprivation and
unemployment and further pushed large swaths of the population into unbearable
levels of poverty. The protests are
channels of citizens’ demand for accountability and for the fulfilment of the
government’s constitutional duty of ensuring the security and welfare of all
citizens(S14(2)(b) Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria), and
ensuring that its policies are humane (S17(2)(c) Nigerian Constitution).

The government’s range of responses to the
protests have done little to restore trust or assuage their frustrations.
Rather than listen to their demands, it has for the past few weeks invested in
a plethora of activities to gag protesters through scare tactics, obtaining
court orders barring or limiting the freedom of assembly, and supporting
counter-protests against them even before they began.

Having been notified weeks before the protests,
the failure of the government to guarantee their right to dissent only worsened
an already precarious situation. For instance, nothing justifies the use of
live bullets in Kaduna, Niger, Kano, and Borno states when restless gatherings
could have been dispersed through less violent means. The result was the
avoidable killing of protesters in these places. We also noted the unlawful
arrest of peaceful protesters in Delta,Abuja, and Lagos states, and the unjustified use of teargas to disperse
protesters in Abuja and Niger state.

Abuja, and Lagos states, and the unjustified use of teargas to disperse
protesters in Abuja and Niger state.

Abuja, and Lagos states, and the unjustified use of teargas to disperse
protesters in Abuja and Niger state.

The media, constitutionally mandated to hold the
powerful accountable, were not spared. In Lagos and Abuja, some journalists
reported being barred by security agents from accessing protesters. Several
journalists including the Chair of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Abuja
chapter, Mr. Jide Oyekunle, were harassed or detained. In some instances, their
phones and cameras were seized or destroyed.

While in most parts of the country, the protests
have been peaceful, there have been pockets of violence, with unscrupulous
elements taking advantage of the situation to loot and vandalize public
property, especially in Kano and Jigawa states.The situation in Kano degenerated into a riot, in which miscreants
destroyed public infrastructure and looted government buildings. Pockets of
protesters across the country were also aggravated by the response of law
enforcement agents to the protests, predictably inflaming an already tenuous
situation.

The situation in Kano degenerated into a riot, in which miscreants
destroyed public infrastructure and looted government buildings. Pockets of
protesters across the country were also aggravated by the response of law
enforcement agents to the protests, predictably inflaming an already tenuous
situation.

The situation in Kano degenerated into a riot, in which miscreants
destroyed public infrastructure and looted government buildings. Pockets of
protesters across the country were also aggravated by the response of law
enforcement agents to the protests, predictably inflaming an already tenuous
situation.

It is apparent to any keen observer that the
actions of the Government over the next few days will determine whether these
protests, which were intended to be peaceful, will become anarchic. The
Nigerian government will therefore be wise to change its posture and responses
to the protests. Protests are a universally recognized tool of social
engineering in a democracy. They are an expression of the freedom of
association, freedom of expression, and right to peaceful assembly. These
rights are guaranteed under Sections 39
and 40 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and in several human rights
instruments which Nigeria has ratified including Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights; and Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.
Unfortunately, these rights are often glossed over when the Nigerian Government
crafts its response to protests. A similar response to the #ENDSARS protests in
2020 left at least 246 dead and at least 352 arrested. In order to navigate this
trajectory in the nation’s history without further damage to national cohesion,
it is our considered opinion that the Government must change course and adopt
the notion that even when protests become unruly and chaotic, the government’s
reaction must be
proportional and consistent with international human rights standards.

Rooted on
the foregoing, we issue the following advice to both the government and protesters:

1. The immediate cessation of the use of fatal
   violence aimed at peaceful protesters by Nigerian security agents. The
   role of law enforcement in a democracy is not to clamp down on people
   exercising their right to dissent, but rather to ensure their peace and
   safety when they do so.

• An immediate release of all peaceful protesters
  without preconditions.

• Law enforcement should refrain from harassing
  or arresting the press while covering protests.

• The police should abide by the playbook for
  protest which provides them with guidelines for respectful engagement with
  protesters.

• Protesters should exercise their right to
  protest in a peaceful and lawful manner while being mindful of the lives
  and properties of their fellow citizens.

• Protesters should refrain from unnecessarily
  aggravating law enforcement agents, who are only fellow citizens engaged
  in maintaining public order and peace.

• Engender greater transparency and
  accountability in governance, and create stronger platforms for citizens
  to engage in their own governance.

• Promote humane, pro-poor policies and urgently
  seek to address food insecurity.

• Most importantly, rather than seek to quash
  protests, end bad governance, which is the true cause of the protests.
  

Global
Rights reiterates its commitment to promoting citizens’ rights to participate
in their own governance and their right to dissent. We sue all parties to
engage peacefully and respectfully. We remain committed to monitoring the
current protests and demanding accountability of all involved.

Signed by

Abiodun Baiyewu

Executive
Director