A democracy inclined Non-Governmental organization, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, has raised the alarm of the far reaching adverse consequences to Nigeria’s fledgling democracy of the incessant cases of police interferences in the political affairs of law abiding political office holders, especially governors who belong to the breakaway faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, and has called on the United Nations Human Rights Council and the African Union to intervene and stop possible breach of peace and destabilization of Nigeria’s democracy.
The human rights group also singled out the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, of abusing their official privileges by working to undermine the legitimate and constitutional authorities of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and other governors known as the Group of Seven PDP Governors, who have recently kicked against the rumoured second term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan.
HURIWA accused President Jonathan of looking the other way while the hierarchy of the Nigerian Police Force manipulates Commissioners of Police in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory to abuse the fundamental human rights to freedom of association and movement of these public office holders identified as not in support of the second term ambition of the President.
The rights group specifically condemned last weekend’s disruption of the meeting of some five governors at the Kano State Governor’s Lodge, Abuja by the police, led by the Divisional Police Officer, Nnana Ama, who reportedly led three trucks load of armed police operatives to invade the sanctity of the lodge and successfully disrupted the peaceful meeting of these Nigerians who have all the constitutional rights to freedoms of movement and peaceful assembly as guaranteed by Chapter 4 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended), the Universal Declarations of Human Rights and the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights, which have all been domesticated by Nigeria.
HURIWA said the consistent rape of the Nigerian Constitution by the Nigerian Police must be stopped to chack possible spiraling effects of these gross abuses on the corporate image of Nigeria and the survival of plural democracy and respect for fundamental human rights.
HURIWA recalled that the governors, whose peaceful meeting at the Kano State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja was disrupted rudely in a gestapo fashion by the police are the Kano State Governor, Mallam Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State; Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu of Niger State and retired Mallam Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state.
HURIWA further criticized the hierarchy of the National Assembly for sleeping on their constitutional oversight duties of stopping the continuous breaches by armed police of the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights belonging to the citizenry of all status, which are inalienable, universal and binding.
Trending
- N14b moved in one hour by Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs — EFCC
- Banks lose over N8b, others $706m to Yahoo Yahoo boys — EFCC Chairman
- FG recovers N57b out of N5.2t debt from 10 MDAs — Official
- Lagos to add 2,231 buses for ease of transportation
- Tinubu approves distribution of 20% palliative through traditional, religious institutions
- For using N18.9b to print N684.5m, Emefiele to face fresh charges
- Spurious FX flows: EFCC freezes over 300 accounts
- Fubara redeploys Wike’s loyalists in cabinet reshuffle