The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has asked President Bola Tinubu to direct the Police to stop harassing and threatening Amnesty International, because they (Amnesty International) were defending Nigerians’ rights.
The call is coming against the backdrop of the Police’s demand for Amnesty International to apologise over its report on last year’s end-bad-governance protests, reports Vanguard.
The Police authorities threatened to seek legal redress if Amnesty International does not apologise and retract the report entitled “Bloody August: Nigeria Government’s Violent Crackdown on End Bad Governance Protests”.
Police story
The Police said: “The Nigeria Police Force strongly believes that this misleading publication undermines the trust and confidence it has worked diligently to build with Nigerian citizens and residents.
“The Force further underscores that such false claims harm the reputation of the organization and demoralize its officers who risk their lives to protect the public.
“In light of these falsehoods, the NPF has demanded that Amnesty International issues a formal retraction and public apology within seven days.
“Failure to comply will prompt the NPF to consider legal actions to protect its reputation.”
SERAP kicks
Reacting to the Police demand for Amnesty International to apologise, SERAP asked Tinubu to call them to order.
A post by the advocacy organisation read: “We urge President Tinubu to direct the police to immediately end their harassment and threat against Amnesty International in Nigeria solely for defending the rights of Nigerians.
“The threat shows an escalating crackdown on civic space in the country.”
