HURIWA: FG Must Stop Criminalising Peaceful Rallies to Avoid Arbitrary Options

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked the federal government to stop the attempt by some presidency officials to criminalise peaceful protests and other civic actions advocating accountability, transparency and good governance.
HURIWA also condemned the unsubstantiated claims made against the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, by Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga.

The rights group affirmed that the statement by Onanuga amounted to careless rumour mongering, which was overheating the public space unduly.
HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, asked Tinubu to call Onanuga to order and caution him to stop behaving and speaking like a fascist because it was only in fascism or totalitarianism that peaceful assembly by citizens was criminalised.

Onwubiko stated, “Democracy thrives on hearing the positions of all sides and any democracy that doesn’t allow peaceful protest is sick.”
He described as unconstitutional and illegal the security services alert for the arrest and arbitrary detention of Mr. Junaidu ‘Abusalma’ Abdullahi, a Kano-based TikToker, for mobilising mass protests over the country’s widespread hunger.
HURIWA said it completely backed Amnesty International in demanding the immediate release of Mr Abdullahi, accusing the Nigerian government of punishing him for exercising his fundamental rights.

The statement said, “The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release social media activist Junaidu Abdullahi (Abusalma), who was imprisoned in Kano for posting a viral TikTok video calling for a peaceful protest against widespread hunger across the country. #FreeAbusalma.”
HURIWA said peaceful demonstrations were legitimate and legally recognised means of passing on a message from the citizens to the government on the way forward in framing and implementation of economic and socio-political policies that would culminate in the enthronement of good governance.