” Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while it continues to punish citizens for demanding justice”
A prominent civil society organisation, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has fiercely condemned the arrest of human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and several other demonstrators during a recent “Free Nnamdi Kanu” protest in Abuja.
In a press statement released on Thursday, October 23, 2025, the group labelled the arrests an unconstitutional suppression of democratic rights.
The Nigeria Police Force justified the arrests, stating that the protesters had violated a court order. Police spokesperson CSP Benjamin Hundeyin claimed that Sowore “led the protesters into a restricted area,” and described the subsequent arrest as an act of “fair play.”
RULAAC forcefully rejected this explanation, calling it “both troubling and legally untenable.” The organisation argued that the right to peaceful assembly and expression is fundamentally guaranteed by Sections 39 and 40 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The group asserted that these constitutional rights “cannot be suspended or overridden by any administrative or judicial order inconsistent with the Constitution.”
The statement, signed by RULAAC’s Executive Director Okechukwu Nwanguma, accused the police and government of hypocrisy.
“It is ironic and hypocritical that the same Nigeria Police and government that routinely flout valid court orders – such as those directing the release of Nnamdi Kanu or awarding compensation to victims of human-rights violations – now hide under the cover of a court order to suppress constitutionally protected peaceful protest,” Nwanguma wrote.
RULAAC warned that this “selective obedience” to court orders undermines the rule of law and public trust in the justice system.
“Peaceful protest is not a crime,” the statement continued, characterising the arrests as “a dangerous step toward authoritarianism.”
The advocacy centre issued a direct call to action, demanding the “immediate and unconditional release of all arrested protesters.” It also urged the police to “desist from actions that violate citizens’ rights” and called on the judiciary to “resist being used as an instrument for the suppression of civil liberties.”
“Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while it continues to punish citizens for demanding justice and compliance with the rule of law,” the statement concluded.
