Nigeria’s Democracy At Risk, Right Group Warns

A rights group, Spaces for Change (SfC) has  raised  alarm that Nigeria’s democracy is at risk, just as it cautioned the Federal Government to adhere to the tenets of democracy and play by its rule.

Also, the group, globally known for its human rights advocacy, asked the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, to without further delay, release all #RevolutionNow protesters still in detention camps.

“We are aware that many of those involved in the #RevolutionNow protests are still in detention and we demand that they should all be released immediately. They are simply carrying out their fundamental right and does not deserve such inhuman treatment”, the group noted in a statement signed by Zikora Ibeh, and made available to newsmen at the weekend.

The group condemned, in strong terms, what it described as “the increasing trend of attacks, criminalization, and militarization of peaceful protests in Nigeria”, adding that “We are horrified at the cruel harassment, arrest, and detention of scores of #RevolutionNow protesters who gathered across different parts of the country to express their constitutionally guaranteed rights to assembly and expression”.

Part of the statement reads “Our democracy is at risk where the civic space is unjustly squeezed by the government and its security apparatuses.

“It is unfortunate to note that security officials who are bound by law and, saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of citizens have departed from their core mandate.