Lagos, Tuesday, June 3, 2014: The Stop Impunity Nigeria (S.I.N) campaign today accused the Federal Government of violating international human rights law and norms by its imposition of an indefinite ban on protests in Abuja calling for the release of the abducted Chibok girls.
In a statement in Lagos, the S.I.N campaign called on the Government to immediately lift the ban on protests, threatening that if the Government failed to do so within 24 hours, the Campaign would lodge a petition against Nigeria with the appropriate United Nations human right agencies for the violation of the rights of Nigerians to peaceful protests.
The campaign coordinator, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, of Human Development Initiatives (HDI), said: “The ban announced yesterday by the Federal Capital Territory Police Commissioner Joseph Mbu violates several United Nations instruments which are applicable to Nigeria, including Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the UN Human Rights Council Resolution A/HRC/RES/15/21 of 6 October 2010 on ‘The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association’; and the recent Human Rights Council Resolution A/HRC/25/L.20 on ‘The promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests’, adopted on 28 March 2014”.
Mr. Mbu announced an indefinite ban on all protests in Abuja calling for the release of the over 250 girls kidnapped in April from Government Secondary School, Chibok, in Borno State, by the insurgent group, Boko Haram, saying “Information reaching us is that very soon, dangerous elements will join groups under the guise of protest and detonate explosives aimed at embarrassing the government.”
Prof Owasanoye dismissed the excuse as unacceptable, arguing that under Article 3 of Resolution A/HRC/25/L.20 of March 28, 2014, States are under an obligation “to promote a safe and enabling environment for individuals and groups to exercise their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, of expression and of association, including by ensuring that their domestic legislation and procedures relating to the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, of expression and of association are in conformity with their international human rights obligations and commitments, clearly and explicitly establish a presumption in favour of the exercise of these rights, and that they are effectively implemented.”
Besides, he stressed, Article 4 of the same Resolution also imposes a duty on States and local authorities to “facilitate peaceful protests by providing protestors with access to public space and protecting them, without discrimination, where necessary, against any form of threat and harassment.”
The Campaign noted that if Mr. Mbu had information or intelligence of plans to attack protesters or to cause confusion during protests, his duty is to provide security for the protesters and protect them from any such attack or harm, adding that should be alive to his responsibilities and do his job, rather than use this as an excuse or pretext to deprive Nigerians of their rights to peaceful protest.
The Campaign said if the Government failed to reverse the ban by the close of work on Wednesday, June 4, 2014, it would dispatch complaints against the Government of Nigeria to the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Peaceful Assembly and Association, requesting them to bring to the attention of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council this grave violation of Nigeria’s obligations under international law and take urgent measures to redress it.