Amnesty International on Wednesday called on the Nigerian government to end its repression of protestors who participated in peaceful nationwide demonstrations against economic hardship and bad government.
The #FearlessOctober protestors on October 1 faced inordinate use of tear gas and arrests by security forces, who barricaded usual protest areas in an attempt to pre-emptively shut down gatherings. In Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, five protest organizers from the northern city of Kano have reportedly been detained and deprived of legal representation.
Director of Amnesty International Nigeria Isa Sanusi stressed the importance of addressing the inequality and cost-of-living crisis driving the unrest:
The government must stop using security personnel to deprive people of the right to peaceful protest and pay attention to the real grievances that triggered the protests. Millions cannot afford food or the costs of healthcare and education. Many families are on the brink of starvation, while alleged corruption and mismanagement thrive. All government promises to address these issues have remained unfulfilled.
Peaceful assembly and association is a right guaranteed domestically under Article 40 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, as well as by international instruments such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
In an address for Nigeria’s 64th Independence anniversary from British colonization, President Bola Tinubu acknowledged the adversity Nigerian citizens were confronted with and pleaded for their patience in implementing economic reforms, especially related to foodstuffs. According to Amnesty International, inflation on food has reached a staggering 36 percent.
Nigeria’s unstable fiscal climate can be pinned down to various factors, including the residual effects of colonization, a severe COVID-19-induced recession in 2020, financial mismanagement and reduced domestic food production due to attacks from militant groups. A key grievance was Tinubu’s abrupt removal of a long-standing but controversial fuel tax in July 2023, which contributed in part to a dramatic rise in Nigeria’s headline inflation, peaking in June 2024. Although government workers secured a minimum wage increase of more than double to 70,000 Naira (around US$42), it fell far short of the 494,000 Naira (around US$300) unions were bargaining for and has done little to alleviate the economic hardship experienced by working-class Nigerians.
The #FearlessOctober protests continue the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest campaign, which launched in August to combat corruption and the country’s worsening economic security. The “10 Days of Rage,” which began on July 29, resulted in hundreds of arrests and the deaths of numerous peaceful protestors.
