Rights group Amnesty International has condemned the attack on peaceful protesters who took to the street to express their displeasure with the disparities in the Certified True Copy of the Appeal Court ruling that sacked Governor Abba Yusuf, the Kano State governor.
The governor’s supporters had taken to the streets of Kano on Tuesday to protest the appeal court ruling that sacked governor Yusuf. There were allegations that the verbal verdict delivered by the Appeal Court ran foul of what was documented in the Certified True Copies that were handed to lawyers.
The disparities in the ruling triggered supporters of the state governor to engage in a demonstration. However, during the cause of the protest, there were allegations that the police clamped down on peaceful protesters, firing teargas and arresting citizens.
Condemning the development in a statement made available on its official X handle, Amnesty International argued that the people of Kano were within their right to hold a protest.
Alleging that police left many protesters injured after using teargas and water cannons to disperse them, a statement by Amnesty International read, “Amnesty International strongly condemns the violent attack on protesters in Kano on 22 Nov. 2023 by the police. The seven protesters arrested by the police must be released immediately and unconditionally. The people of Kano were perfectly within their rights to hold a protest. The police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters, leaving many protesters injured. We call on the Nigerian authorities to investigate the incident and to respect human rights and end attacks on protesters.
“The heavy-handed clampdown yesterday is clearly a way to intimidate people and prevent them from exercising their right to freedom of assembly. Despite the constitutional protection of the right to protest, Nigeria has an abysmal record of violently repressing protests and silencing dissent. Nigerian authorities must hold the suspected violators of the rights of Kano protesters accountable for their actions.”
