In every democracy, the right to protest is a fundamental tool through which citizens voice grievances and demand accountability from those in power. Organised dissent drives societal progress, compels governments to recalibrate policies, and secures justice. When authorities respond to peaceful protests with repression, it signals a dangerous shift away from democratic governance toward authoritarianism.
History is rife with examples of regimes using both legal and extra-legal means to silence critics instead of addressing the root causes of public discontent. Nigeria now stands at such a crossroads. While the suppression of dissent is not new in the country’s political history, the government’s recent responses to public protests have increasingly relied on intimidation, arbitrary detentions, and the weaponisation of the judiciary.
Against this backdrop, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), represented by Zikora Ibeh, Senior Programme Officer, Policy and Research, and Gideon Adeyeni, Community Mobiliser, joined activists, civil society organisations, and concerned citizens at a press conference on January 27, 2024. The event, convened by the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), condemned the government’s escalating crackdown on peaceful protest.
The press conference was prompted by the arbitrary arrests and politically motivated prosecution of young Nigerians who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protests in August 2024. This nationwide movement erupted in response to elite corruption and deepening economic hardship, including the removal of fuel subsidy, an increment in electricity tariffs, and skyrocketing education fees. Between August 1 and 10, thousands of Nigerians—primarily youth—took to the streets in cities such as Abuja, Lagos, and various northern states to demand change.
The government’s response was brutal. Security forces employed excessive force, including firing live ammunition at close range, leading to at least 24 deaths recorded. Authorities also arrested scores of protesters, including minors. Notably, 29 children, aged 14 to 17, were detained and charged with serious offenses, including treason—a crime punishable by death in Nigeria. Although these minors were eventually released following public outrage, the charges exemplify the state’s alarming drift toward authoritarian rule.
Among those still facing treason charges and undergoing trial are Adaramoye Micheal Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq, Daniel Akande, Angel Love Innocent, Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi, Buhari Lawal, Bashir Bello, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaoluwa Eleojo Simon, Nuradeen Khamis, and Abdulsalam Zubairu. These young individuals resumed their court appearances at the Federal High Court in Abuja on January 29, 2025, just after the New Year holidays.
At the press conference, speakers, including CAPPA’s Zikora Ibeh, denounced these politically motivated prosecutions and warned of Nigeria’s accelerating democratic decline. Ibeh condemned the government’s attempt to brand peaceful protesters as terrorists, emphasising that dissent is a democratic right, not a crime. The crackdown on protests, they argued, mirrors historical patterns of repression that have plagued Nigeria’s political landscape. From the 1995 execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine to the Lekki Toll Gate massacre in 2020, the Nigerian state has repeatedly deployed violence to silence dissenting voices.
Speakers at the event called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to break from this legacy of civic repression. They demanded an immediate halt to the persecution of activists, the dropping of all charges against innocent protesters, and the government’s commitment to addressing the legitimate concerns of Nigerians.
Furthermore, activists called for the dismissal of officials responsible for unlawful detentions and extrajudicial killings, as well as the return of all personal belongings unlawfully seized from protesters, such as Mosiu Sodiq, a graphic designer whose phone and laptop were confiscated when security forces abducted and detained him for his participation in the demonstrations.
Additional demands included an end to state-sponsored attacks on press freedom and civil liberties, accountability in governance, and the establishment of an independent inquiry into human rights abuses committed by security forces during the protests.