By Awwal Umar Kontagora The Minna branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly condemned the use of force by security operati...
By Awwal Umar Kontagora
The Minna branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly condemned the use of force by security operatives during the nationwide mass protest against hunger and hardship in some parts of Niger State.
The association also condemned the chaotic and violent protest which led to the killing of six protesters by security personnel in Suleja.
This was contained in a press statement signed by the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Minna branch, Barrister Isyaku Barau, and made available to our correspondent in Minna over the weekend.
According to the statement, the NBA Minna branch applauded the collective decision of the people of the state for their refusal to participate in the ongoing nationwide protest against hardship, hunger, and the governance of Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
"Prior to the commencement of the nationwide End Bad Governance protests, the President of the NBA, Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, SAN, acknowledged the hunger and suffering among Nigerians.
"He called on the government to expedite actions to provide relief. He also appealed to the protest organizers and the Nigerian populace to shelve the protests and engage in frank and sincere discussions with the government."
Barrister Isyaku noted that the NBA President foresaw the potential negative impact of the protests on socio-economic and political development, noting that previous peaceful protests in Nigeria had often been hijacked and turned violent by miscreants and hoodlums.
Barau disclosed that all NBA branches in Nigeria have been directed by the NBA President to form Situation Monitoring Committees to observe the protests if they proceed.
The Minna branch, according to him, has already constituted a ten-member committee chaired by the branch’s Vice Chairman, Mohammed Abugi, who is also the chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the NBA Minna Branch.
The committee's role is to collaborate with security agencies to protect peaceful protesters, monitor the protests for human rights abuses, compile and document evidence of such abuses, liaise with security authorities in emergencies, and provide pro bono legal services for peaceful protesters if needed.
While recognizing the constitutional rights of Nigerians to protest, the NBA Minna branch strongly condemns acts of violence, looting, and the wanton destruction of private and public properties under the guise of protest, particularly the alleged attack and destruction of the Local Government Secretariat in Tafa.
"We also call for the establishment of an independent panel to investigate the alleged killings in Suleja, Niger State."
The decision of many people in Niger State not to participate in the ongoing nationwide protests is linked to the positive impacts of the Niger State Government's initiatives on urban renewal and food security, which are expected to address hunger in the state soon," he observed.
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