Amnesty International, yesterday, accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of not doing enough to end a series of violations across Nigeria, urging it to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law.
Specifically, the rights watchdog called on the government to:
- Guarantee freedom of expression;
- End all forms of violence against women and girls;
- Protect the rights of children;
- Secure economic, social and cultural rights;
- Ensure accountability for the Niger Delta clean-up;
- End torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions;
- End killings by security forces and non-state actors, and communal violence across Nigeria, particularly, in Zamfara, Plateau and Benue States, fatal airstrikes on civilian settlements, spiraling violence in South East, and deadly communal clashes;
- End electoral violence; and,
- Abolish the death penalty and commute all death sentences
These atrocities were noted at the launch of a human rights agenda for the government for failing to address rampant human rights violations across the country six months into the current administration.
However, the agency believes the Tinubu’s administration can still redeem itself by ensuring that human rights are at the centre of its policies.
The government is also charged to implement findings of previous investigation panels on human rights violations, and promptly, thoroughly, impartially, independently, effectively and transparently investigate human rights violations under the past government to ensure justice and accountability.
The Tinubu’s administration must thoroughly, impartially, independently, effectively and transparently investigate these human rights violations and bring suspected perpetrators to justice in fair trials.
Director, Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, said: “President Bola Tinubu and his administration must publicly commit to ending decades of human rights violations by ensuring that suspected perpetrators of past violations are brought to justice and implementing safeguards that drastically improve respect for human rights.
“President Tinubu’s government must unveil a blueprint for addressing the gross human rights violations that have been committed across the country.
“Amnesty International has prepared a detailed human rights agenda for the Nigerian authorities. The government must now respond not by paying lip service to human rights, but by ensuring that their words are matched with concrete actions to protect and uphold the rights of everyone in the country.”
Additionally, Amnesty International again accused the Tinubu-led government of not addressing the rising cost of living triggered by the removal of fuel subsidy and increasing taxation amidst unprecedented inflation.
This, it said, has plunged millions of struggling families into more poverty, with more families unable to meet the cost of food, education and healthcare.
It said further that in Nigeria, the rights to freedom of expression and media freedom are routinely violated. Occasionally, security forces threaten, arrest and detain journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders and activists simply for doing their work.
During the 2023 general elections, at least 42 journalists were attacked, harassed, beaten or denied access to cover the elections.
Against this background, Sanusi charged the Tinubu’s administration to “thoroughly, impartially, independently, effectively and transparently investigate these human rights violations and bring suspected perpetrators to justice in fair trials,” said Isa.
