•Accuses president of paying lip service to human rights
•Insists rights to free speech, media freedom routinely violated
Wale Igbintade
The global human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has slammed President Bola Tinubu-led administration over its failure to address rampant human rights violations inthe country.
The organisation in a statement issued yesterday by its Nigerian Director, Isa Sanusi, urged the Tinubu government not to pay lip service to human rights, but ‘ensure that their words are matched with concrete actions to protect and uphold the rights of everyone in the country’.
The statement entitled: ‘Nigeria: After six months in office, President Tinubu failed to uphold human rights’, warned that his administration must guarantee and ensure respect for the human rights of everyone in the country.
It said currently, the rights to freedom of expression and media freedom are routinely violated.
The organisation noted that occasionally, security forces threaten, arrest and detain journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders and activists simply for doing their work.
It revealed that that during the 2023 general election, at least 42 journalists were attacked, harassed, beaten or denied access to cover the elections.
The global rights body called on Nigerian authorities to fully implement findings of the investigation of the killings of peaceful #EndSARS protesters by the military and police at Lekki Toll Gate on 20 October 2020.
It maintained that all atrocities allegedly committed by the police before and after the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) must be investigated, while victims must also receive compensation, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.
The organisation observed that in Nigeria, the rights to freedom of expression and media freedom are routinely violated, as security forces often threaten to arrest and detain journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders and activists simply for doing their work.
It stated that during 2023 general election, at least 42 journalists were attacked, harassed, beaten or denied access to cover the elections
The statement read: “Nigeria’s President Tinubu’s administration has failed to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law after six months in office, Amnesty International said today, as it launches a human rights agenda for the government following a period in which Tinubu unveiled new government policies that did not address rampant human rights violations across the country.
“Tinubu’s new administration still has the chance not only to ensure that everyone is able to fully and effectively enjoy their human rights, but also to hold perpetrators of past rights violations to account.
“The Nigerian authorities must ensure that human rights are at the centre of their policies, implement findings of previous investigation panels on human rights violations, and promptly, thoroughly, impartially, independently, effectively and transparently investigate human rights violations under the past government to ensure justice and accountability.
“President Bola Tinubu and his administration must publicly commit to ending decades of human rights violations by ensuring that suspected perpetrators of past violations are brought to justice and implementing safeguards that drastically improve respect for human rights. President Tinubu’s government must unveil a blueprint for addressing the gross human rights violations that have been committed across the country.
“Amnesty International has prepared a detailed human rights agenda for the Nigerian authorities. The government must now respond not by paying lip service to human rights, but by ensuring that their words are matched with concrete actions to protect and uphold the rights of everyone in the country,” Sanusi said.
In setting human rights agenda for Nigeria, Amnesty International said: “Although the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) contains provisions on human rights and Nigeria has ratified several human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the country has been plagued by decades of human rights violations and abuses, perpetrated by both state and non-state actors.
“President Tinubu’s administration must guarantee and ensure respect for the human rights of everyone in the country. In Nigeria, the rights to freedom of expression and media freedom are routinely violated. Occasionally, security forces threaten, arrest and detain journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders and activists simply for doing their work. During the 2023 general elections, at least 42 journalists were attacked, harassed, beaten or denied access to cover the elections.
“The Nigerian government must conduct a thorough, impartial, independent, effective and transparent investigation into the counter-insurgency operations carried out in the northeast of the country by security forces. Since 2009, the Nigerian military has committed gross human rights violations and crimes under international law, including extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and incommunicado detention, in the North-east.
“The authorities must also fully implement findings of the investigation of the killings of peaceful #EndSARS protesters by the military and police at Lekki Toll Gate on 20 October 2020. All atrocities committed by the police before and after the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) must be investigated. Victims must also receive compensation, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.”
