Ban on protests: You’re acting beyond your powers – Rights activist, Nwanguma tells IGP Adamu, CP Odumosu

By Chibuzo Ihegboro

The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has been accused of ‘acting beyond their powers’ after their authorities recently proclaimed a ban on all forms of protests.

Rights activists and Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma, made this charge in a press statement, following reports that the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu has ordered Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) and Commissioners of Police (CPs) across Nigeria to use force on all forms of protests.

According to Nwanguma, both IGPAdamu and commissioners of police have no powers, under any law, to ban protests. According to him, “The IGP, Mohammed Adamu and the Lagos CP, Hakeem Odumosu, acted beyond his powers by announcing a ban on protests.

“They are exercising powers they don’t have. When CP Joseph Mbu issued a similar illegal order in the FCT in 2014 banning protests by the Bring Back Our Girls group, while he was CP pf FCT, he was forced to withdraw the order following the public backlash.

“The Bring Back Our Girls Group, through their lawyers, Femi Falana Chambers went to court and got a court order nullifying that illegal order and reaffirming citizens’ constitutional rights to assemble peacefully, and protest without requiring approval from the Police.

“There is also no such thing as ‘riotous protests’ as stated in the Press Release issued by the IGP and CP Lagos, respectively, through their PPROs.

“The #EndSARS protests were peaceful until the government recruited thugs who attacked the peaceful protesters and subsequently deployed soldiers who attacked them and fired live ammunition on the protesters,” Nwanguma said.