Dare Babalola
A prominent rights activist, Debo Adeniran, has described the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest as not being a popular cause, saying it was the reason it did not garner widespread support.
“Actually, protesters should choose their cause right. #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest may not be a popular cause, and once what you are fighting for is not a popular cause, you are not going to have popular acceptance, and you are not going to have popular following.
“If the cause is justified and popular and the strategies is acceptable to the people, then all of us will subscribe to it, just like we did during the #EndSARS and #OccupyNigeria protests,” he said.
Adeniran made the remarks in reaction to the dispersal of protesters by security operatives, who were calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Recall that the police dispersed the protesters organised by Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist, who were demanding the release of Kanu. The protesters, including clergymen and civil society members, had gathered at the Transcorp Hilton area of Abuja on Monday, but were met with heavy-handedness from security operatives.
The police fired tear gas canisters, dispersing the crowd and arresting several protesters, including Kanu’s brother, Emmanuel Kanu, and his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor.
The police action was reportedly in response to a court order restricting protests near government buildings, but Sowore accused the police of using excessive force and violating the protesters’ constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
Adeniran, who is the National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), spoke to NEWSTELLER about the incident on Tuesday.
According to Adeniran, every protest is a confrontation with the government, and it’s unrealistic to expect the government to welcome protesters with open arms.
The CDHR president said, “If it is a protest, it means that the citizenry is asking something different from what the government is interested in. So we don’t expect that the government will welcome us with open arms.”
He noted that the use of teargas by security operatives was the minimum measure to disperse the protesters, who they claimed were moving beyond the designated protest area as ruled by the court.
However, he criticised the security operatives for not announcing that the protesters had overstepped their bounds before firing teargas canisters.
Adeniran added, “The minimum weapon the state will use if they don’t want the protest to escalate is what they have used, and I agree with them that there are certain areas the court has restricted the protesters from getting into. So, if indeed they were moving away from where the protest is allowed, the police are justified in dispersing them. But then, they needed to have announced out there that they had overstepped their bounds as ruled by the court before they started to fire teargas canisters at them.”
He emphasised that in a democracy, the government should not disrupt a gathering unless there’s a threat to violence or a reasonable suspicion that certain elements may hijack the protest.
“Ordinarily, again in a democracy, a government that has gone to court and the court has restricted the protesters to certain areas, should not have disrupted such a gathering unless there is a threat to violence, or there is a reasonable suspicion that certain elements are likely to hijack the protest. And unless they think that the gathering is getting beyond the control of the protesters,” he said.
He continued the government is allowed to “use teargas, rubber bullets at the highest point, or water cannon” when a protest goes out of control, adding that “All of those things are reasonable means of controlling a crowd when they are on a protest march.”
Adeniran, however, added that there was no case of threat during the Monday morning protest.
“But there has to be evidence that there is a threat to the security of the country. The crowd I saw dispersed with teargas that yesterday was not a threat to anybody, because even at the first gathering, they didn’t even have placards, not to mention any weapons. So there are threats at that level, they would have guided them to stay at one point, make their point and disperse.”
Adeniran also questioned the effectiveness of the protest, saying it was unlikely to achieve its goal. He believes Nnamdi Kanu has caused damage to the people and economy of the Southeast and contributed to the violent approach of the #EndSARS protest in 2020.
“I don’t agree with this. I believe that Kanu has caused a lot of damage to the people and economy of the Southeast in particular, and contributed to the violent approach that the protest in Lagos in 2020 turned out to be,” Adeniran said.
He added that Kanu should face trial and be held accountable for his actions, rather than being released. Adeniran also criticised Kanu for inciting people and organising a private army, saying it’s a form of rebellion against the country.
Adeniran stressed that citizens have the right to protest, but protests should be well-organised and peaceful, urging protesters to respect the law and avoid violence, looting, and destruction of property.
“We will always continue to protest, even when 2020 happened, a lot of people thought that there wouldn’t be protests again, but there have been protests after then, just that protests should be well organised.
“We don’t want any situation that will become so tensed that the military will now have excuse that the country has been rendered ungovernable then use it as a reason why they will come back. That will not be allowed, so I’m not in support of that protest, it is unnecessary,” Adeniran said.
