Civil rights Activist Dele Farotimi has accused the Nigerian Police and the judiciary of undermining citizens’ constitutional right to peaceful protest, describing their actions as proof that Nigeria is “only pretending to be a democracy.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Farotimi said it was undemocratic for citizens to seek police approval before staging protests, arguing that the police’s role is to provide protection, not permission.
“In a democracy, there should never be a need for a police permit before you may have a protest. The police were informed so that they would provide security.
“That a court would presume to curtail the right of citizens to protest peacefully in a democracy is even suggestive of the fact that we’re not in a democracy. We’re only mimicking and pretending to be in one,” he said.
His comments come a day after #FreeNnamdiKanu protesters, led by activist Omoyele Sowore, took to the streets of Abuja despite a court order and police warnings.
Sowore noted that the group had only just begun their protest in front of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel when a combined team of police, army, and civil defence officers arrived and opened fire without provocation.
However, the Nigeria Police Force through its Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, on Monday night, said that no live bullets were fired and that officers acted lawfully to prevent damage to “critical infrastructure” in Abuja during Monday’s protest.
“You see, FCT is very big. You can protest anywhere and your voices will still be heard,” Hundeyin said, stressing that the restricted zones including Aso Rock Villa, the National Assembly, Force Headquarters, and Eagle Square were protected based on a court order.
He maintained that the police’s actions were to ensure public safety and order, adding, “These are places where protests have happened in the past, and things were destroyed. So, it is our duty as an agency to protect lives and properties.”
Farotimi, while speaking on channels, condemned the judiciary for allegedly serving as an extension of the executive, saying it had lost its independence and moral standing.
“I’m sorry to say our judiciary is unfit for purpose. It does exactly as it is told by the executive and does not serve the cause of justice. An order is only as useful as its lawfulness,” he stated.
He also recounted being once remanded under what he described as a “non-existent law,” citing it as evidence of deep dysfunction in Nigeria’s legal system.
“What kind of court order is going to stop citizens who are not out for violence from peacefully showing their displeasure with the government?” he asked, noting that he no longer participates in protests because the Nigerian government “does not listen.”
“They are merely protesting to the deaf. The Nigerian state is deaf; it does not listen,” he said.
Referring to the 2020 EndSARS movement, Farotimi argued that the government’s response revealed its unwillingness to reform.
“End SARS, they changed the name to SWAT. Today it is RRS. It is the character and nature that have not changed.
“The Nigerian state does not change anything for anybody. It is not interested in pleasing those who presume themselves to be citizens,” he said.
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