Amnesty International has issued a stern warning to President Bola Tinubu’s administration, cautioning against threats directed at Nigerians planning to protest against the current economic hardship and hunger in the country.
The global human rights organization emphasized that threatening peaceful protesters is unlawful, underscoring that Nigerians have a constitutional right to protest.
Reports indicate that some youths are organizing a nationwide protest, scheduled between August 1 and 15, to express their discontent with the rising cost of living and economic challenges.
In response, Dada Olusegun, President Tinubu’s media aide, issued a strong warning to potential protesters, stating they would face unprecedented resistance if they proceeded with their plans. In a post on X, Olusegun asserted that those who supported Tinubu’s administration would fiercely oppose the protest.
“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 tweeted.
Amnesty International condemned this stance, highlighting that such threats are a direct attack on the freedom of assembly, a right protected by both international law and the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
“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,” stated Amnesty International.
The organisation further stressed that Nigerians must not be deprived of their constitutionally and internationally guaranteed right to peaceful protest through veiled threats of violence and false insinuations.
