…Vows to stand with Nigerians exercising right to protest
The Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTiON) has strongly condemned the violent dispersal of peaceful protesters in Abuja by security agencies, describing it as a blatant assault on democratic freedoms and an alarming show of state intolerance toward dissent.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its Convener, Hauwa Mustapha, and Co-Convener, Comrade Chris Isiguzo, the group expressed displeasure over the “brutal suppression” of the protesters yesterday.
According to MOTiON, “Citizens exercising their constitutional right to dissent were shot at, tear-gassed, chased and arrested, in a chilling display of state hostility toward free expression.”
The group said eyewitnesses and media reports confirmed that security agents deployed heavy-handed tactics to crush what was a lawful assembly rather than protect citizens’ rights.
The movement reminded security agencies of their constitutional duty to protect, not persecute, Nigerians who speak out against injustice. “Security agencies must be reminded that when citizens take to the streets to demand justice, reform, accountability or welfare, their duty is to safeguard and not silence them,” the statement read.
MOTiON also accused the government of operating double standards in its response to protests, noting that demonstrations demanding better welfare for police officers were treated differently. “Only a few weeks ago, protesters demanding improved welfare for police and retired officers were not treated as adversaries because their demands favoured the same security institutions. Yet this week, citizens voicing dissent against perceived injustice were met with force and contempt,” it said.
The group warned that such inconsistency “exposes a dangerous politicisation of the right to protest.”
It urged both the government and the judiciary to stop framing civic demonstrations as threats to national stability.
“The courts and government must stop framing citizen protests as illegitimate attempts to destabilise the state. Such narratives embolden repression, obstruct reform dialogue, and erode democratic confidence,” MOTiON stated.
The organisation further called on lawmakers to defend citizens’ rights and use their oversight powers to prevent future abuses. It urged that “a public guarantee is issued that peaceful assemblies will never again be treated as criminal acts,” and that all injunctions restricting protests be reviewed to stop their misuse as tools of intimidation.
They group expressed solidarity with Nigerians who continue to demand justice peacefully, adding, “We will not stay silent while legitimate dissent is criminalised and voices for justice are violently silenced.”
