The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has condemned what it described as the incessant and frivolous arraignment of human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
In a statement signed by its President, Mr. Debo Adeniran, the rights group said the repeated judicial harassment of Sowore was “infantile, unnecessary, and a clear distraction from the serious task of governance.”
According to CDHR, the practice not only undermines Nigeria’s democratic spirit but also violates the constitutional rights guaranteed to every citizen. Adeniran stressed that freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly are fundamental rights enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and cannot be taken away simply because a citizen disagrees with government policies.
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The group noted that many Nigerians are dissatisfied with the government’s economic policies, lamenting that even initial supporters of the reforms are now frustrated by poor implementation that has unleashed untold hardship on the populace.
“Nigerians are hungry, angry, and frustrated. In a democracy, those who are dissatisfied have the right to criticize government in any manner they deem fit. Wasting time and resources to silence dissent through frivolous litigations is counterproductive,” the statement read.
CDHR further argued that persecuting activists like Sowore only validates their message and wins them more public sympathy. The group recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu once declared that he was ready to take all the bashing for his administration’s shortcomings, urging him to live up to that promise by accommodating criticism rather than persecuting critics.
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“If the government is truly committed to delivering good governance, the people themselves will defend its integrity. But the reality today is that the masses are disillusioned, hungry, and daily confronted with poverty and despair,” Adeniran stated.
The group concluded by calling on the Federal Government to end what it termed its “unnecessary obsession” with Sowore and redirect its focus to addressing Nigeria’s worsening economic and social crises.
