The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre has condemned the mass arrest, maltreatment and detention of peaceful #RevolutionNow protesters in Abuja, Lagos and other cities in Nigeria.
RULAAC in a statement by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, asked security operatives to focus on arresting bandits and corrupt elements within and outside government and not peaceful protesters demanding good governance.
The group said the protesters had not committed any crime or offence by demanding an end to corruption, growing insecurity and mismanagement of the affairs of the country by the current administration led by Muhammadu Buhari.
The group said, “Right to freedom of expression is guaranteed under Nigerian constitution and other regional and international human rights legislations which Nigeria is a signatory to. Peaceful protest is one of the means of exercising the right to freedom of expression. The protesters have not committed any crime or offence by protesting to demand an end to corruption, growing insecurity and mismanagement of the affairs of the country by the current administration led by Buhari.
“They are making legitimate demands for good governance which will benefit the majority of oppressed Nigerians including members of the police, military and other security agencies who are also victims of bad governance by corrupt politicians in government and their allies. Those that security agents should tackle are bandits and corrupt elements within and outside government including those engaged in massive corruption and various acts of criminality.
“The arrest, maltreatment and detention of harmless citizens engaged in a patriotic struggle to rescue the country from the suffocating grip of selfish, unpatriotic and incompetent operatives in power smacks of intolerance for alternative views. It is undemocratic, unjustifiable and casts this regime as illegitimate. We call for the release of all those currently being detained at various police stations across the country to be released immediately and unconditionally.”
