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The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has strongly condemned the arrest of human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and several other peaceful demonstrators by the Nigeria Police Force during the recent Free Nnamdi Kanu protest in Abuja, describing the act as a serious threat to democracy and civic freedom.
In a statement issued on Thursday, and signed by the RULAAC’s Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, concluded, the group criticized the police’s justification for the arrests, calling it “troubling and legally untenable.” The police had claimed that Sowore and others violated a court order restricting protests in certain parts of Abuja. According to Force spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, the activist “led protesters into a restricted area,” an action he described as “fair play.”
However, RULAAC maintained that the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are fundamental constitutional guarantees under Sections 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as Articles 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which is part of Nigerian law. The organization insisted that no administrative or judicial order could override these constitutional rights.
“It is ironic that the same government and police authorities that routinely disobey valid court orders such as those directing the release of Nnamdi Kanu or awarding damages to victims of human-rights abuses are now invoking a court order to suppress peaceful protest,” the group stated.
“Selective obedience to court orders undermines the rule of law and public confidence in the justice system.”
RULAAC further emphasized that peaceful protest is not a criminal act but a legitimate democratic tool for citizens to express dissent and demand accountability.
It warned that targeting activists or human rights defenders like Sowore for exercising these freedoms was a “dangerous step toward authoritarianism.”
The group called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained protesters and urged the Nigeria Police to desist from actions that infringe on citizens’ fundamental rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association. It also appealed to the judiciary to resist any attempts to use it as a tool for repressing civil liberties.
“Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while punishing citizens for demanding justice and adherence to the rule of law”.
