Dele Farotimi, a civil rights advocate and lawyer, claims that the Nigerian state is more concerned about impunity and the rule of law than about armed groups terrorizing its citizens.
His statement comes as a result of a protest demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, from custody. On Monday, the protest was led by activist Omoyele Sowore, a former presidential candidate.
Farotimi said that the Nigerian government has consistently shown hostility toward people who peacefully demand their rights while allowing violent criminals like bandits and terrorists to participate in the morning program of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday.
When you examine the objective facts, it seems simple to elicit the truth. Nigerians were peacefully protesting on October 20, 2020, while also singing the country’s anthem and waving flags. They were brutally murdered. That is the Nigerian government’s response to those who want to be treated like citizens, he claimed.
Farotimi cited the #EndSARS protest as a response to years of impunity being enforced by the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), which he characterized as the “brutal arm” of the Nigerian government. He claimed that the state used violence rather than address the concerns of the population.
He continued, the Nigerian Police always respond with “full force, always ready to murder and maim,” but they continue to remain silent when bandits, terrorists, and armed militias commit atrocities every time activists like Omoyele Sowore and others protest.
You see complicit silence by the state when you observe how the same Nigerian state treats bandits, terrorists, and Fulani militia members who murder Nigerians in front of the full attention of everyone. He claimed that the Nigerian state fears being held accountable for its victims and upholding the rule of law.
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Farotimi lamented that those who carry weapons against the nation act with impunity while the Nigerian government only exercises its muscles against unarmed citizens. He criticized the government’s continued repression of so-called “repentant terrorists,” arguing that those who demand justice are the ones who are punished.
The world’s most effective deradicalization program is reported. It ought to be exported, too. However, he claimed that in Nigeria, those who demand that they be treated decently as people who are governed and protected by law are frequently beaten and murdered.
Farotimi argued that the state punishes dissent rather than crime, citing Chinedu Agu’s case, who he claimed is currently being detained in Owerri for his criticism of a governor.
“Those who need to be afraid of the Nigerian state are those who demand both human rights and citizenship.” Regardless of their ethnicity or religion, the Nigerian state has no problem with those who roam the country and kill them, he said.
Farotimi argued that the Nigerian state’s greatest fear was being “yoked to the rule of law” and made to treat people with respect and respect.
Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist, has accused security personnel of attacking peaceful protesters without warning during the #FreeNnamdiKanu rally on Monday in Abuja.
Sowore, who spoke on Monday’s edition of The Morning Brief on Channels Television, claimed security forces opened fire shortly after the protests started at the hotel’s front in Abuja.
He also confirmed that some people had been detained as a result of the incident, including his lawyer and Nnamdi Kanu’s younger brother, who allegedly suffered beatings before being taken to the Nigeria Police Force FCT Command.
Source: Channels TV
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