According to the Civil Society Consortium on Civic Space, any attempt by the Nigerian government to harass or abuse Nigerians who plan to protest on Saturday will be prohibited.
Citizens’ freedom to protest against corruption in Nigeria, according to the human rights organization, is a fundamental human right.
It then asked the Nigerian government to issue a warning against security agents abusing people’s human rights, saying that any case of inhumane treatment of protestors on June 12 will be brought to court to seek restitution for the people.
This was revealed in a statement made accessible to SaharaReporters on Friday, in which the group urged the Nigerian government to follow the rules and security operatives to act equitably.
“Nigerians from across the country have widely publicized a #June12Protest to register their displeasure with the way the country has been governed. By this statement, we wish to remind the Nigerian Government and its security services that every citizen has the right to protest, such right is constitutionally guaranteed among other international instruments that have been ratified by the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Therefore, the government and its security services must play by the rules and conduct themselves in ways that guarantee the safety and well-being of protesters on the streets. We, therefore, warn that there should be no arbitrary arrests of protesters, no inhuman or degrading treatment should be meted out on any protester either through torture or use of teargas or water cannons.
“We wish to remind the government of Nigeria that the murder of innocent citizens during the #ENDSARS protest in Lekki and the rest of Nigeria is still fresh in the minds of Nigerians and the international community. Therefore, any violation and inhuman treatment that is done on any protesting citizen will be redressed in both local and international courts of justice.
“We also call on friends of Nigeria and the international community to pay close attention to the #June12Protest and help peaceful protester to avert an imminent danger,” the statement read.
