EndSARS Protest latest update: Human Rights Watch accuse Nigeria of oppressing EndSARS protest promoters
Nigerian authorities be like say dem dey use financial measures to suppress protests against police brutality and independent media reporting.
Protesters hold Nigerian flag wit inscription during one protest against di Nigeria rogue police unit wey dem dey ca Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), inside Ikeja district of Lagos, Nigeria, 15 October 2020. Di goment don dissolve di unit but many Nigerians still dey para for di way Nigerian goment handle di mata. Na wetin, Human Rights Watch (HRW) tok today as di global rights group accuse President Muhammadu accuse Buhari goment of oppression against EndSARS protesters. HRW ask di Nigerian goment make dem unblock di bank account of all di EndSARS Protesters plus organisations wey epp raise moni alias promoters of di protests against police brutality across Nigeria last month, European Media Director of Human Rights Watch, Andrew Stroehlein call di way Nigeria goment dey treat EndSARS protest promoters 'gross abuse of power' on Friday morning. Di Right group wey give di order for statement, say any attempt by di goment to press down legit protest by blocking protesters bank account na gross abuse of power. And dat dat kain action na impunity and na threat to human rights and freedom. "Any restrictions on bank accounts and media outlets sake of di endsars protest dey illegal e dey against goment commitment to reform and accountability' "goment must shaperly remove all di punitive financial measures on top pipo and organisations wey just di provide information or epp pipo wey di cari out dia fundamental rights' di statement yarn Anietie Ewang wey be di organisation researcher for Nigeria say dem from all dia investigation, e dey clear say di Nigerian goment no follow di right procedure before e start to clampdown on protesters. E say di goment use di Central Bank of Nigeria and di National Broadcasting Corporation to intimidate protesters plus media organisations and close dia mouth against police brutality and independent media reporting. Background to di blocking of EndSARS promoters bank account Di Central Bank bin get court order from di Federal high court Abuja to freeze di accounts of 20 #EndSARS promoters until January 2021. According to di details of di order na Justice Ahmed Mohammed grant di request for di suit wey CBN file for October 20 CBN tell court say dia account dey link to terrorism and dem wan monitor dia account. Last month di #Endsars protests shake many states across di kontri as thousands of youth enta street to demand for di end of police brutality and disbandment of di Special Anti- Robbery Squad of di police (SARS). Di unit dey face many accuse of torture, corruption and kill-kill. Which oda tins HRW tok about Nigeria action on EndSARS promoters? Frozen account wit no legal proceedings Nigeria researcher for Human Rights Watch add say di way wey goment through di central bank take block di account dem no make sense As dem no provide any notice or legal proceeding and dat di apex bank bin don already close dia bank account for days before e go court for October 20 to get court order. And dis one show say di goment take dia time to plan and punish all those wey either contribute to di protest or participate for di actual protest. E say di bank up till today neva provide di public di crime wey those dem block dia account commit. UK Parliament dey consider all petitions wey get more than 100,000 signatures for a debate. So far di EndSARS petition from Nigeria don pass 200 thousand signatures. Attack on media na to stop free speech Anoda issue wey Human Right hamma on na di way wey di NBC take fine Arise Television, Africa Independent Television, and Channels Television sake of how dem report di Endsars protest. For di statement, dem mention say ordinarily, before di regulatory agency fine any media organisation, dem suppose give dem notice or engage wit dem- but officials from di media organisation say officials from di NBC no even reach out to dem to find out weda Dem fact check di social media footage before dem use dem. Anietie say dis action show say goment dey keen to muzzle free speech for di kontri.