The Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy, and ADC National Legal Support Forum, on Monday, raises alarm over alleged Kebbi State Government officials clampdown on political opponents using courts, security agencies in the state as political tools to oppress citizens.
Barrister Kalu Kalu Agu, Head, Legal Services of the Centre, raised the alarm on Monday in a petition jointly signed with M.E.Sheriff Esq,the Chief Convener, ADC National Legal Support Forum address to Attorney General of the Federation, Inspector General of Police, Director -General Department of State Service,DSS, and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International and others.
They alleged in a petition ,copies of which were circulated that Government of Kebbi State is weaponizing security and judicial apparatus to oppress and intimidate dissenting voices.
“The weaponization of the security and justice system to punish dissent is an abuse of power that threatens not only Kebbi State but the rule of law in Nigeria as a whole,” Agu stated.
The group posited that the role of Magistrates and Area Courts in this repression has become particularly concerning, as they often lend legitimacy to these abuses by entertaining meritless charges and issuing harsh sentences without proper legal scrutiny or regard for due process.
Specifically, the group is demanding “an immediate investigation into the conduct of the Kebbi State Government, security agencies, and judicial officers involved in the repression and persecution of opposition voices.
Also, the Centre is seeking the identification and disciplinary action against officers of the Nigeria Police Force and DSS who have acted outside the scope of their authority in unlawfully arresting and detaining citizens.
In addition, the group requested the immediate release and compensation of all individuals currently in detention or those wrongfully convicted for exercising their constitutional rights to free speech and civic engagement.
Kalu Kalu Agu, also demanded the monitoring of human rights situation in Kebbi State by national ans international organizations, with a view to halting the normalization of state-sponsored persecution.
They frowned at the situation in Kebbi State, insisting that
“these acts are not only unconstitutional but also violate Nigeria’s international obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.
The Centre submitted that the rights to liberty (Section 35 CFRN), fair hearing (Section 36), freedom of expresion on (Section 39), and freedom of association (Section 40) are being daily infringed upon with impunity in Kebbi State.
Further more, the Centre for Reform & Public Advocacy and ADC National Legal Support Forum emphasized that criticism of government is a comerstone of democracy and must not be treated as a criminal act.
Agu, spoke against the backdrop of allegation of alarming escalation in the use of security agencies; namely the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), as well as the judicial machinery, particularly Magistrates and Area Courts, to harass, intimidate, and unlawfully detain citizens who express dissent or constructively criticize the actions and inactions of the state government.
He argued that the pattern of targeted repression constitutes a clear and systematic violation of fundamental rights of citizens as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and international human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a signatory.
Agu expressed dismay that civic actors, commentators, online critics, and even ordinary citizens who have dared to express opinions that are critical of the government have become targets of arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, malicious prosecution, and, in many cases, unjust conviction.
“These individuals are often summoned under dubious pretenses, arrested without warrant, denied access to legal representation, coerced to write statements and to admit charges, and held in custody beyond the constitutionally allowed duration” Agu stated.
He disclosed that in many instances, the charges brought against these persons are not only frivolous and baseless, but are concocted to suit a political narrative.
Offences such as “public nuisance,” “inciting public disturbance,” and “defamation” according to Agu, have been routinely and wrongfully invoked to criminalize speech and stifle freedom of expression.