The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned recent actions by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police, calling them direct attacks on constitutional democracy.
These actions include the clampdown on peaceful protesters commemorating the fourth anniversary of the Lekki Toll Gate massacre in Lagos and the invasion of a journalist’s residence.
In a statement, HURIWA expressed outrage over the DSS’s abduction of Edna Ulaeto, a journalist with OrderPaper, during a raid on her home. Ulaeto was violently manhandled and taken to an undisclosed location without explanation, following a media report that erroneously mentioned a DSS invasion of the National Assembly.
Despite the journalist’s release after the intervention of the International Press Institute, HURIWA labeled the incident as a “persistent attack on media freedoms” and called for an apology and financial compensation of N100 million to Ulaeto for the violation of her human rights.
Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, criticized the use of state resources to suppress journalists and urged the DSS to refocus its efforts on addressing national security threats such as terrorism and banditry.
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Onwubiko also warned that continued violations of press freedom could lead to international sanctions against the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
HURIWA condemned the police’s violent dispersal of peaceful protesters in Lagos, asserting that Nigerians have the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
The group called for the immediate release of detained protesters and expressed concern over attempts by DSS operatives to harass the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) for raising concerns about a DSS presence at its office.
HURIWA called on civil society organizations and pro-democracy groups to unite in a global campaign to protect human rights and constitutional freedoms in Nigeria.