Amnesty International has strongly condemned what it described as a “reckless attack” on peaceful protesters during a Democracy Day demonstration at Unity Fountain in Abuja on Friday, in which human rights activist Omoyele Sowore collapsed and was rushed to hospital.
The rights group in a statement posted on its official X handle on Friday, said the deliberate targeting of Mr Sowore must be investigated, noting that such targeting of activists solely for exercising freedom of assembly is unlawful and shows utter disregard for the rule of law.
“Amnesty International strongly condemns the reckless attack on peaceful protesters today during a Democracy Day protest at Unity Fountain in Abuja in which human rights activist Omoyele Sowore collapsed and was subsequently taken to a hospital,” the group said.
Amnesty said the Nigerian authorities are clearly using violence to crack down on human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“President Tinubu’s government has failed to demonstrate commitment to upholding the country’s constitution and its international human rights obligations that allow people to freely exercise their human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” the group said.
Mr Sowore, a human rights activist and RevolutionNOW convener, had earlier accused operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) of deploying a “strange gas” at the protest ground, at close range, which entered his lungs and left him struggling to breathe before he eventually collapsed.
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In a video posted on his official X handle, Mr Sowore described the attack as “unprovoked. ”
“Today, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force deployed a strange gas at the protest ground, at close range, which entered my lungs and left me struggling to breathe before I eventually collapsed.
“This incident shows the increasingly dangerous tactics being used to suppress dissent and intimidate citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
“The objective of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu regime is to silence, destroy, and crush all opposition through fear and force. We shall never succumb to any of his worn-out tactics. We will keep going until we achieve liberation. #RevolutionNOW,” Mr Sowore said.
As of the time of filing this report, the NPF have not issued an official response to Mr Sowore’s allegations or to the video he released.
