A civic organisation, African Rising Movement, has stated that over 80,000 journalists and activists across Africa have been brutalised and detained by African leaders for demanding good governance.
According to Daily Trust, the co-coordinator of the group, Muhammed Lamin, made the disclosure in Abuja, saying the organisation worked hard to ensure their release from various prisons.
Lamin noted that such attacks would not deter journalists and activists from performing their duties.
According to him, the organisation has, through its campaigns, ensured the release of “over 80,000 journalists and activists” from prisons across Africa.
Lamin said, “We’ve lost a lot of our compatriots through bullets, through detentions, through torture and all forms of human brutality put on them by our governments.
“We encourage the government to release the activists and journalists who are in jails across African countries so as to decongest prisons.”
Meanwhile, the co-chair of the movement and Nigerian activist, Deji Adeyanju, said the movement made solidarity interventions to Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and other countries to ensure restoration of democratic rule.
On her part, Wangui Goro, co-chair of the movement, said the award was to recognise the efforts of young African activists who had contributed to promoting justice and good governance.
“The movement is not an enemy of government but one with a vision that is in line with the African Union Vision 2063 that spells out politically what Africans want in line with constitutions of countries,” she said.
