Two leading human rights organizations, ActionAid Nigeria and Amnesty International, have condemned the government’s clampdown on civil society members and peaceful protesters who took part in demonstrations across the country demanding the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The groups described the use of force against unarmed citizens as a gross violation of Nigeria’s constitutional and human rights obligations.
In a joint statement co-signed by Andrew Mamedu, Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, and Isa Sanusi, Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, the organizations said the reported brutality against peaceful demonstrators in Abuja and Lagos was “shameful and portrays Nigeria in bad light among the comity of nations.”
They specifically condemned the alleged assault on Ms. Yemi Adamolekun, Executive Director of the Enough Is Enough (EiE) movement, who was reportedly attacked by security operatives while laying flowers in Lagos in memory of deceased #EndSARS protesters.
Mamedu, in the statement, said:
“These spates of violence represent a grievous and unacceptable assault on the fundamental constitutional rights of Nigerian citizens to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and association. Such actions by security agents, particularly the Nigeria Police Force, are not isolated cases of misconduct — they reflect a systematic attempt to shrink civic space and stifle legitimate public dissent.”
He added that the use of excessive force against peaceful protesters constitutes a direct breach of both domestic and international human rights laws, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Nigeria’s Constitution.
“Peaceful demonstration is the bedrock of any functioning democracy. Any force deployed against unarmed protesters transforms the state from protector to perpetrator of violence,” Mamedu emphasized.
The organizations further expressed deep concern over what they described as a recurring pattern of brutality by Nigerian security agencies in handling peaceful assemblies.
They called for an immediate, thorough, impartial, and independent investigation into all reported attacks on protesters in Abuja and Lagos, including the assault on Yemi Adamolekun, and demanded accountability for those responsible for ordering or executing the clampdowns.
