#EndBadGovernance: Human rights complaints surge over abuses by security operatives during protest – NHRC

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has reported a significant increase in human rights violation cases over the past month, many of which emerged following the #EndBadGovernance protests in August.
The commission said it received 228,549 complaints in August, the month when the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests were held for 10 days, a dramatic rise from the 185,651 cases recorded in July.
Protesters trooped out in many states from 1 to 10 August to protest against bad governance and high costs of living attributable to President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies.
PREMIUM TIMES reported widespread human rights abuses by security operatives, mostly from the Nigerian police and the State Security Service (SSS), during the anti-government protests in different parts of the country.
The abuses by the law enforcement agencies during the protests included arbitrary arrests and detentions, harassment, killings, indiscriminate firing of tear gas and live ammunition to disperse gatherings.
Peaceful protesters and journalists covering the demonstrations experienced various forms of high-handedness and brutality of the security forces during and after the protests.

In different parts of the country, many of the protesters, including minors, are still being held in detention weeks after the protests. The Federal High Court in Abuja has given police permission to hold 70 of them in detention for two months in Abuja for investigation.

Some detained protesters have been charged with serious crimes including an attempt to topple President Bola Tinubu’s administration and levy a war against Nigeria. Amnesty International described the trials as a sham and called for immediate release of the protesters.
The NHRC disclosed this at the monthly dashboard meeting held on Friday at its headquarters in Abuja.

The Senior Human Rights Adviser at the NHRC, Hilary Ogbonna, said in his presentation of the new report that the unprecedented number of complaints the commission witnessed particularly in August was a result of the violations that some members of the public encountered during the #EndBadGovernance Protest which took place from 1 to 10 August.

“The activities of law enforcement following the protest of August have given rise to human rights violations, especially dignity. People don’t even know that when tear-gas is thrown directly at protesters who are peaceful, that is a violation of their rights to dignity.

“So, you can just imagine in terms of our calculation of violation of rights to dignity in August, how many of such violations could have occurred based on the way law enforcement handled the protest of August 1to10,” said Mr Ogbonna.
He also noted the unlawful detention of over 1,200 protesters who law enforcement officers arrested.
Mr Ogbonna emphasised that protest was not a crime.

While speaking on the fresh wave of protests scheduled for 1 October protest, he urged the authorities to recognise protest as sacrosanct, a fundamental human right, and a legal means for the public to air their grievances.

Complaints from the six geopolitical zones

Most of the complaints that were received in July came from the South-South and the North-west in August.

Mr Ogbonna gave the breakdown of the number of cases on a regional basis: North-West 24,527; North-east 18,259; North-central 49,081; South-east 16,917; South-West 21,857 and South-South 55,010.

Explaining why there was a shift from the South-south to the North-west, Mr Ogbonna said, “This has to do of course you know with the protest, human rights violations arising from the protest but above all insecurity and violence as we currently know that the North-west happens to be the epicenter.”

The NHRC issued an elaborate advisory to guide a peaceful conduct of the protests, identifying the roles of security operatives in the process.

However, reports from different parts of the country showed that the advisory was largely ignored by the security forces and many citizens who hid under the pretext of protesting to destroy public properties and loot stores in Kano and some other northern states.

The intolerance of security forces towards the protesters emerged as early as the first day of the demonstrations.

The NHRC too was prompt in its caution. On 2 August, NHRC asked police authorities to probe and sanction their officers who attacked journalists on the first day of the

#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests on 1 August.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that at least 56 journalists were assaulted or harassed by security forces or unidentified citizens while covering the 10-day protests.
PREMIUM TIMES and The Cable reporters in the firing line of the security forces recounted their near-death experiences here, here, here, here and here. Another PREMIUM TIMES reporter also gave an account of how he was brutalised by the police on the first day of the protest despite identifying himself as a journalist.

Issues in Focus

Mr Ogbonna disclosed that the freedom of association and peaceful assembly, flooding and displacement were the important areas that need urgent attention which the commission is currently addressing.
In August, Premium Times reported 2,217 houses and shops, and 1000 hectares of farmland that were destroyed as a result of flood in Gombe State. Also, 41,344 persons have also been displaced in Jigawa, Taraba, and Adamawa states.

Speaking further, Mr Ogbonna said the right to freedom of discrimination was the most reported case of violation in July, while in August, the right to freedom of religion was the most prevalent complaint followed by abuses by law enforcement and human dignity violation cases.

Other issues which he described as most worrisome are child rights violations and sexual and gender-based violence.

Appealing to all stakeholders, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Anthony Ojukwu, said, “As we delve into the analysis of this month’s dashboard data, let us not only consider the numbers and figures before us but also the lives, stories, and struggles that lie behind these data.

READ ALSO: #EndBadGovernance: Court remands 10 protesters in prison over treasonable felony charges

“Let us be guided by empathy, commitment, and a steadfast dedication to upholding the dignity and rights of every individual in Nigeria.”