…As Amnesty International Decries Attempt to Suppress Peaceful Protest
By Kingsley Omonobi
ABUJA — The Nigeria Police Force Headquarters has defended the use of tear gas by its operatives to disperse protesters in Abuja who were calling for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The incident occurred across several parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including the Three Arms Zone, Maitama, and Jabi, where demonstrators had gathered to demand Kanu’s release from prolonged detention by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Protesters reportedly attempted to march toward the Three Arms Zone — an area that houses key national institutions such as the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, and Court of Appeal — prompting police operatives to fire tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.
However, the action has drawn criticism from Amnesty International Nigeria, which condemned what it described as “an attempt to suppress peaceful protests.”
In a statement posted on its official X handle on Monday, Amnesty International said: “Amnesty International receives disturbing reports of attempts to crack down on peaceful protests holding in Abuja, calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
People must be allowed to freely exercise their right to peaceful protest.
Any act capable of undermining freedom of assembly is illegal and portrays unacceptable intolerance of peaceful dissent.”
The rights group called on the Nigerian authorities to ensure that security agencies respect and facilitate citizens’ right to peaceful protest, as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
While urging the government to address the grievances of the demonstrators, Amnesty International demanded an immediate end to the crackdown on protesters.
Responding to the criticism, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, defended the police action, insisting that it was carried out in line with existing legal restrictions on protests in sensitive areas of the FCT.
In a post on his X handle on Monday, Hundeyin said: “Police tear-gassed protesters attempting to approach Aso Villa in clear contravention of a court order restricting protesters from the Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.
We are the country’s foremost law enforcement agency. We carried out our mandate.
And we did not block the road but cleared it after it was blocked by the protesters to enable other Nigerians easy passage to their respective destinations.”
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 2021 and is currently facing trial on terrorism-related charges before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
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