The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has expressed strong condemnation of what it described as the persistent abuse of state power and violent repression of peaceful youth protests across Nigeria, warning that such actions threaten constitutional democracy and deepen the country’s insecurity crisis.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, RULAAC said the criminalisation of peaceful protests by Nigerian authorities represents “a dangerous erosion of constitutional democracy, a betrayal of the social contract, and a profound failure of governance.”
According to Nwanguma, Nigeria’s worsening insecurity over the past two decades has disproportionately affected young people, leaving many with no option but to engage in peaceful demonstrations to demand safety, livelihoods and a future.
“Faced with a state that has failed to guarantee safety, livelihoods, or a future, Nigerian youths have increasingly turned to peaceful protest as an exercise of their constitutionally guaranteed rights to expression and assembly,” he said. “Disturbingly, the state’s consistent response has not been dialogue or protection, but violence, arbitrary arrests, and punitive prosecutions.”
RULAAC cited events in Ekpoma, Edo State, in January 2026 as emblematic of this pattern. Following the kidnapping of Akhabhe Favour, and a former Ambrose Alli University Students’ Union leader, students and youths staged peaceful protests to demand government action. However, the organisation criticised the university management for distancing itself from the protesters.
“Instead of responding to legitimate security concerns, the university management publicly distanced itself from the protesters, effectively abandoning students to state repression,” Nwanguma said, describing the move as “institutional cowardice.”
The situation reportedly escalated on January 10, 2026, after the kidnapping of 18 bus passengers and two medical doctors, one of whom was said to have been killed.
RULAAC said fresh protests in Ekpoma led to the arrest of 52 youths, who were arraigned before the Benin High Court on charges including malicious damage and armed robbery, and subsequently remanded at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre.
The group further expressed concern over the shooting of 32-year-old protester Osagie Abraham by personnel of the Nigerian Army, an incident it noted was confirmed by the Edo State Police Command.
“The bitter irony is unmistakable,” Nwanguma stated. “Citizens demanding protection from violent criminals were treated as criminals themselves, while those perpetrating kidnappings continued to operate with impunity.”
RULAAC said the Ekpoma incident was not isolated, recalling that during the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests in August 2024, at least 124 protesters were arrested across several states, with 10 charged with treason.
“This revealed a governing mindset that equates civic engagement with subversion and dissent with an attack on state authority,” Nwanguma said. “Such actions send a clear and dangerous message to Nigerian youths: your grievances are illegitimate, and your constitutional rights are conditional.”
The organisation described the use of force, mass arrests and what it termed “spurious charges” against protesters as a grave breach of the 1999 Constitution and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
RULAAC called for wide-ranging reforms, including the immediate release of all persons detained solely for peaceful protest, independent investigations into the use of force against demonstrators, and prosecution of security personnel found culpable.
It also demanded stronger legal protections for civic space, judicial reforms to safeguard independence, and greater youth inclusion in security governance.
“The future of Nigeria is inseparable from the future of its youth,” Nwanguma said. “A nation that criminalises its young people for demanding safety, justice, and accountability is actively sabotaging its own prospects.”
He warned that Nigeria’s leaders face a critical choice between continued repression and reforms that restore trust and protect rights.
“Justice, accountability, and respect for constitutional freedoms are not optional,” he said. “They are the foundation of any legitimate and secure society. Without them, insecurity will persist, and the gulf between the state and its citizens will only widen.”
