Amnesty International has issued a stern warning to President Bola Tinubu’s administration, condemning recent threats directed at Nigerians who are planning to stage protests against the escalating hardship and hunger in the country.
The global human rights organization emphasized that these threats are not only unlawful but also a direct assault on the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
Reports have emerged indicating that a group of youths is organizing a nationwide protest scheduled to take place between August 1 and August 15. The aim of the protest is to draw attention to the growing cost of living and the economic difficulties currently faced by many Nigerians.
In response to these plans, President Tinubu’s media aide, Dada Olusegun, issued a strong warning to the prospective protesters. Through a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Olusegun cautioned that anyone attempting to protest against the government would face severe resistance. He suggested that this opposition would come not from security forces, but from the “silent majority” who support President Tinubu.
“Those who want to burn the country down under whatever guise will meet the strongest resistance of their lives. Not from security agencies, but from the silent majority that gave their mandate to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for four years in the first instance. We are waiting,” Olusegun stated in his tweet.
Amnesty International responded to these statements by highlighting that such threats against peaceful demonstrators are a violation of both international law and Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution. The organization underscored that the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental liberty, protected by international human rights standards as well as the Nigerian constitution.
“Threatening peaceful protesters is unlawful. It is a clear attack on freedom of assembly — which is guaranteed by international law and Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution. Nigerians must not be denied the constitutionally and internationally guaranteed right to peaceful protest; through veiled threats of violence and false insinuations,” Amnesty International declared.
The global human rights body’s intervention underscores the importance of upholding democratic freedoms and the necessity for governments to respect citizens’ rights to voice their grievances through peaceful means.
