PRESS STATEMENT
20th October 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CEHRAWS CONDEMNS POLICE CLAMPDOWN ON “FREE MAZI NNAMDI KANU NOW” PROTESTERS IN ABUJA — SAYS GOVERNMENT HAS LEARNT NOTHING FROM #ENDSARS
The Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS) strongly condemns, in unmistakable terms, the reported intimidation, unlawful arrest, and detention of peaceful protesters who gathered in Abuja this Monday morning (20/10/25) to demand the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
According to credible reports and footage circulating online, the protesters, led by activist Omoyele Sowore, were peacefully exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights when security operatives swooped in, dispersing them with force and allegedly arrested several participants.
This action is not only a blatant violation of Section 39(1) and Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantee freedom of expression and peaceful assembly but also a direct affront to Nigeria’s international human rights obligations under Articles 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), both ratified by Nigeria.
CEHRAWS views this recurring pattern of state aggression against peaceful dissent as an unfortunate continuation of the “kinetic-first” approach that led to the tragic escalation of the #EndSARS protests exactly five years ago today. It is deeply worrisome that, rather than engage citizens through dialogue and empathy, the government still resorts to outdated tactics of suppression, thereby aggravating issues that could have been peacefully resolved.
Had the present administration learnt any lessons from the 2020 #EndSARS debacle, it would have instructed security agencies to protect, not persecute, peaceful demonstrators. A responsible government would have sent a representative to address the protesters, acknowledge their grievances, and reaffirm its commitment to the rule of law. That singular act of leadership could have earned the government public trust and international respect.
Instead, the security forces’ heavy-handed response only reinforces the growing perception that Nigeria’s democratic space is shrinking under a culture of fear, intolerance, and impunity. The continued disregard for lawful court orders directing Nnamdi Kanu’s release and the harassment of citizens demanding compliance amount to a dangerous erosion of judicial authority and democratic accountability.
We therefore call on:
1. The Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately order the release of all arrested protesters and initiate an independent inquiry into the use of force by security agents during the Abuja demonstration.
2. The Nigeria Police Force to act strictly within the bounds of the Police Act 2020, particularly Section 5, which mandates officers to protect fundamental rights and uphold constitutional freedoms.
3. Civil society, media, and the international community to closely monitor and document this disturbing trend of repression, lest the nation slides once again into avoidable civil unrest
Nigeria cannot continue to recycle the same errors that led to bloodshed and global condemnation in 2020.
The right to peaceful protest is not a privilege to be granted at the whim of the state, it is a constitutional guarantee and a hallmark of any genuine democracy.
The government must stop aggravating simple civic issues through brute force and instead embrace dialogue, justice, and restraint as the true instruments of governance.
It is high time our leaders realized that silencing dissent does not secure peace, it only delays truth and deepens resentment.
Signed:
Okoye, Chuka Peter.
Executive Director, CEHRAWS
Email: cehraws@gmail.com |
Tel: +234-808-035-1242
Aba, Abia State, Nigeria.
