The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has bemoaned the trial of #EndBadGovernance protesters by the Federal Government.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
CACOL Chairman, Debo Adeniran, in a statement signed by Tola Oresanwo, the group’s Director, Administration and Programmes, recalled that Nigerians staged a nationwide protest against bad governance and economic hardship from August 1–10, 2024.
Adeniran noted that the protest turned violent in some parts of the country, with looting and vandalism recorded in some parts of the country.
He stressed that the police announced the arrest of perpetrators in some states, while the office of the Inspector General (IG) of Police last Monday arraigned 10 protesters, who participated in the recent #EndBadGovernance and hunger protest, before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Adeniran said the charges filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, included felony and treason, contrary to Section 96 and punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code, even as the protesters were accused of conspiring to destabilise Nigeria, inciting mutiny, and levying war against the state.
He stated: “From all indications, we at CACOL believe that the arraignment is unnecessary. Those who committed murder, arson or vandalism by destroying properties could be isolated and tried according to the law of the land.
“If government policies did not elicit mass hunger which later translated to mass anger it is not likely that anybody will look the government in the face and call a sitting government a bad government.
“Even those in government cannot say that the policies that caused hunger in town are in sync with what the people would approve. So, if they express their disapproval of such policies, they should not be blamed for it.
“Moreover, it is the responsibility of the government to protect the lives and properties of the people. Since the organisers of the protest gave enough notice before the commencement of the protest, that arson and vandalism were recorded during the protest can be attributed to negligence on the part of the government who ought to have put the necessary security apparati in place to prevent wanton destruction of properties.
“This is why CACOL, as a civil society organisation, is lending its voice to the call on the President to grant the protesters immediate prerogative of mercy knowing that they have genuine reasons to stage the protest.
“The Federal Government must immediately and unconditionally release all those arrested during the protest for exercising their right to peaceful assembly, instead of resorting to putting them through trumped-up charges just to justify unlawfully detaining them and thereby subjecting them to unnecessary psychological torture.
“To the best of our knowledge, peaceful protest is not and should not be linked with any crime against the state, especially ‘treason’.
Other concerned Nigerians who spoke on the issue on Saturday warned that the current administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was tilting towards dictatorship and declaring war against the citizens.
They also said that the government was trying to sow seeds of discord and creating fear among Nigerians, giving the impression that the people are no longer free in their own country.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government, last Monday, commenced the mass trial of arrested #EndBadGovernance protesters with the arraignment of 10 suspects, including a female, before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on charges of attempting to overthrow President Tinubu between July 1 and August 4 this year.
In a six-count charge filed by the Inspector General of Police, the defendants were accused of committing treason during the national protest when they allegedly levied war against Nigeria.
Already, Justice Emeka Nwite has ordered that nine of the male suspects be remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre, while the only female should take her place at the Suleja facility in Niger State.
Before the defendants were arraigned last Monday, Justice Nwite had granted the request by the police to remand 124 protesters in custody for 60 days, pending the completion of investigations.
Baba Aye, a veteran activist and Co-Convener, Coalition for Revolution (CORE), one of those who spoke to Sunday Independent at the weekend, stressed that by the arrest, detention and trial of the protesters, “The government is trying to sow seeds of fear in the minds of the people with this massive wave of arrests and prosecution.”
Baba Aye, Editor, Socialist Worker and Council Member, Progressive International, maintained that “The police spokesperson said as much when he argued that it would serve as a deterrent.
“But, they have failed to learn from history, like many tyrants before President Tinubu. Hunger breeds anger. Exploitation creates room for resistance. Oppression inspires rebellion.
“In the concrete case of the current situation in Nigeria, it is clear that this goal of the government will not be achieved.
“As we speak, for example, groups such as the Take It Back and Nigeria Patriotic Front Movements that actually have a critical mass of members and are not just laying claim to organising one protest or the other, are mobilising towards an even more massive wave of protests from October 1.
“And the mass of Nigerians who are fed up with ever increasing suffering are yearning to join.”
Barrister Emeka Iheonu, a Lagos lawyer said: “Prosecuting people arrested for protesting against the current hardship in Nigeria will lead to more hatred for the government.
“The poverty level has tripled within the past one year. Families are disintegrating. Prosecuting protesters will send wrong signals to developed countries and foreign investors.”
Ambassador Dr Kalu Ofon Emmanuel, Lagos State Chapter President, lnternational Human Rights Protection Service, Naples, Florida, USA, stated: “I don’t think the Federal Government needs a prophet to prophesy that prosecution of the arrested #EndHardship protesters would not be foreseen and it shall cause bloodshed on the streets.
“Though Federal Government is bent and determined to prosecute them. The effect of the continued trial will be catastrophic and devastating to the Nigerian economy.
“Suffice it to say that the detrimental effects it would bring to Nigeria can frustrate a whole lot of people and cause more economic frustration, hardship, and damage.
“The Federal Government through the courts should be very careful in passing judgment against the protesters. Mr President should avoid and avert any other protests that could lead to further conflagration in the country.
“People who committed heinous atrocities were not prosecuted, rather they were released, celebrated, and adopted into the All Progressives Congress (APC) family and government.
“Most of them cannot walk freely on the streets because of fear of the masses; they have shattered their brilliant dreams and future.
“The Federal Government must be extremely careful because suffering in the country is absolutely unbearable which has led many to early grave.”
Dr Victor Mathew, a cleric and security expert said that non-violent protests is a fundamental human right of Nigerians and is enshrined in the constitution.
Dr. Mathew, the Executive Director, Kingdom Advocacy Network (KAN), stated: “To me, this government has no moral right to persecute anybody for protesting its wicked policies.
“Like the former Senate President put it, Tinubu’s government policies are hunger driven. I cannot, but agree with him totally.
“It is simply like beating a child and asking him not to cry. We are experiencing unprecedented hardship. Coupled with rising insecurity, it is enough of a recipe for protest without anyone sponsoring it.
“So far, there is no sector where the government has fared up to 50 percent. As far as I am concerned, judging from the quantum of failures by the government, the protest was not very effective as I had wanted it to be.
“The civil society and the media must resist this unjust, wicked and malicious persecution of innocent citizens whose only crime was to cry out because government policies are beating them hard.
“The government should toe a path of honour and drop all charges and these heroes be acquitted unconditionally.”