CSOs to Tinubu: Stop police harassment of Amnesty International over #EndBadGovernance protest report

Sixty-seven civil society organisations (CSOs) have asked President Bola Tinubu to direct the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to stop the “ongoing harassment” against Amnesty International over a report on the EndBadGovernance protest.

The CSOs said the Tinubu-led administration must end the “escalating crackdown on activists, human rights, journalists, and other Nigerians simply for peacefully exercising their human rights”.

BACKGROUND

In November 2024, Amnesty International published a report, “Bloody August: Nigerian government’s violent crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protests”.

In the report, the rights organisation said at least 24 protesters were killed during the protest, adding that 1,200 others were arrested.

In December 2024, NPF said Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police (IGP), had constituted a special investigation panel to probe the “claims” made by Amnesty International.

On Tuesday, the NPF said it had written a letter to Amnesty International to demand the retraction of the report within seven days or face legal action.

‘CRACKDOWN ON CIVIL SPACE ALARMING’

In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the CSOs alleged that the NPF is “deliberately intimidating, threatening, and targeting Amnesty International”.

“We stand in solidarity with Amnesty International. The intimidation, harassment, and threat against Amnesty International and the escalating crackdown on the human rights movement in the country must end,” the statement reads.

“We call on the government of President Bola Tinubu to direct the Nigeria police force to immediately end its ongoing intimidation, harassment, and threat against Amnesty International and to allow the organisation to freely carry out its human rights work in the country without any fear of reprisals.

“We call on the Tinubu administration to thoroughly, impartially, independently, and effectively investigate the grave allegations of human rights violations and abuses in the context of the #EndBadGovernance protests.

“The administration must ensure that those suspected to be responsible are brought to justice promptly and that victims and their families are provided with access to justice and effective remedies.

“We call on the Tinubu administration to immediately take measures to ensure a conducive environment where civil society organizations, activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and other Nigerians will feel safe to carry out their work and exercise their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.

“We call on the Tinubu administration to immediately halt all acts of repression, judicial harassment, and intimidation against activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society organisations.

“We call on the Tinubu administration to end its ongoing crackdown on human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and to respect the human rights of everyone and the rule of law in Nigeria.”

The statement was signed by the following CSOs: 21st Century Community Empowerment for Youth Initiative, Accountability Lab, Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Amnesty International Nigeria, Borno Coalition for Democracy and Progress (BOCODEP), BudgIT Foundation, Center for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity, Centre Democracy and Development (CDD), Centre for Community Empowerment in Conflict and Peacebuilding, Centre for Democratic Research and Training (CRDDERT), Centre for Global Tolerance and Human Rights and Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD).

Others are Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Centre for Social Centre for Justice Reform, Centre for Transparency Watch, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), CLEEN Foundation, Community Life Project (CLP), Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Connected Development (CODE), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Elixir Trust Foundation, Emma Ezeazu Centre for Good Governance and Accountability, Environmental Rights Action, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA), Falana and Falana’s Chambers, Global Rights, and Good Governance Team.

The list also includes Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre), Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation, Invictus Africa, Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre, Lawyers Alert, Media Initiative for Transparency in Extractive Industries (MITEI), Media Rights Agenda, Mothers and Marginalized Advocacy Centre (MAMA Centre), Nigeria Network of NGOs, Open Society on Justice Reform Project, Order Paper, Organization for Community Civic Engagement (OCCEN), Partners West Africa, Policy Alert, Praxis, Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), RULAAC – Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre and Say NO Campaign.

Others are Sesor Empowerment Foundation, Social Action, Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), State of the Union (SOTU), Tax Justice and Governance Platform, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), West Africa Civil Society Forum (WASCSOF), Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Women in Media Communication Initiative (WIM), Women in Mining, Nigeria, World Impact Development Foundation, Yiaga Africa, and Zero Corruption Coalition (ZCC).