Maureen Okpe
The Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTiON), has called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained protesters, including the minors who were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja over their participation in the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests.
The group urged the Attorney General of the Federation to use his office to withdraw the charges, especially those against minors, while also calling for a complete halt to the harassment of citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
Convener of the group, Hauwa Mustapha, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said that failure to heed these demands will compel MOTiON to mobilise the full force of our membership, along with millions of Nigerians, to resist this unbridled tyranny.
She said: “This alarming attempt to criminalize peaceful expression as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution as Amended is yet another assault on the fundamental rights and freedoms of Nigerian citizens.
“We are prepared to confront this state repression head-on, alongside every Nigerian who believes in a just and democratic society.”
“We are appalled by the blatant display of government repression that has led to the unconscionable detention of 76 protesters across the nation including 32 minors.”
Mustapha further decried the increasing weaponization of state power, adding the Federal Government is acting in dangerous alignment with external forces like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
MOTiON added that the root causes of these protests reflect deep-seated issues of bad governance, a crippling inflation rate that has drastically reduced the purchasing power of citizens, and an unmanageable cost of living that leaves countless Nigerians grappling with hunger and poverty.
Mustapha said rather than the government addressing these deep-rooted issues of poverty, which are affecting over 65 per cent of citizens and have seen at least 20 million children roaming the streets of the nation, the government has resorted to the high-handed approach of fighting the very citizens it swore to protect.
“These are the real crises that have driven citizens to take to the streets, to demand accountability and a government that prioritises the well-being of its people over external agenda.
“The coordinated suppression of public expression is uncalled for, as it is disturbingly aligned with an IMF and World Bank playbook notorious for encouraging governments to suppress their people to enforce often oppressive economic reforms,” Mustapha added.
She added that the Nigerian government’s partnership with these entities has come at the cost of the democratic rights of its citizens.
“These recent events position the current administration as systematically paving the way toward full state capture and adopting a dangerous blend of dictatorship under the guise of democracy.
“MOTiON calls upon the federal government to recognise that dissent is not a crime; it is a democratic right. Attempts to criminalise it will only strengthen the resolve of the Nigerian people to demand justice and accountability,” Mustapha said.