The African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has decried the manhandling of journalists and other protesters by the police during the #EndBadGovernance protests across the country.
The African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has condemned the manhandling of journalists and other citizens during the nationwide protests against bad governance.
A statement signed by the group’s coordinator, Chido Onumah, condemned the nefarious attacks stating that it is an infringement on citizens’ rights.
“We strongly condemn the violence against journalists and other citizens by the police as citizens exercise their constitutional rights of freedom of assembly and expression within the extant laws of the country. Attacking journalists for covering the protests infringes on a constitutional provision that clearly establishes citizens’ right to freedom of expression, and the freedom of the press. To be clear, Chapter 4 Section 39 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution (1999) states: ‘Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.’
“We note that it is a flagrant violation of this law for the police to attack journalists for doing their work, and to equally brutalize other citizens for exercising the right to protest. We therefore call on the Inspector General of Police to call erring officers to order, and stop the police attacks on journalists and protesters.”
The statement further traced the genesis of the protest to the never ending implementation of new policies without adequate measures to curtail their effects. The group therefore called for a careful examination of the grievances of the citizens and advised more caution into the government’s spending habits. The statement added: “It is important to note that the #EndBadGovernance protests did not appear from thin air. The protests emanated from the acute hardship foisted on Nigerians by ill-advised policies, reckless government expenditure, and mismanagement of the economy.”
“We recall that since May 29, 2023, when the current administration abruptly announced an end to fuel subsidy and followed it up with the floating of the naira, Nigerians have faced an unsustainable rise in the prices of goods and services, a knock-on effect of the unplanned and badly conceived twin policies. Despite the abrupt implementation of the fuel subsidy removal without putting in place measures to cushion the consequent hardship on citizens, the government has been on a grossly insensitive pursuit of luxuries, including billions of naira spent on a new residence for the vice president, hundreds of millions of naira spent on the purchase of new sport utility vehicles for federal lawmakers, and other frivolous expenditures that have no positive impact on society.”
On Thursday, 1st of August, Nigerians took to the streets to protest over the rising cost of living and severe hardship in the country which they described as being the aftereffects of bad governance. The protest which began on the 1st of August is expected to last till the 10th of August if there is no concrete intervention from the government.
Each day, hundreds of protesters have been pouring out on the streets of major cities in the country to cry against the hardship in the country. Hashtags such as #EndBadGovernance, #RevolutionNow, #Revolution2024 and #TinubuMustGo has been on the rise across the various social media outlets. Cities like Kano, Jigawa, Gombe, Minna, Katsina, Yenogoa, Abuja and Lagos have seen a tremendous turnout of protesters who are eager to have their voices heard by the appropriate authorities.
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These daily processions have recently witnessed several attacks from the security forces and this has given rise to concerns in the nation. Security operatives are attacking the protests and deploying tear gas canisters to disperse the protesters.
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Since the beginning of the protests, not less than 30 journalists have been manhandled, injured or unlawfully detained, an act which has been widely condemned as an affront on true journalism.
