Amnesty International has raised alarm over what it termed as troubling pattern of repression targeting opposition members ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a statement on Sunday, the human rights organisation said repeated attacks and intimidation against opposition supporters could make it more difficult for them to associate freely and hold public gatherings.
Amnesty said it strongly condemned “the unlawful and outrageous blocking of the venue of a ‘Tinubu-Must-Go’ event today in Kano”, where.heavily armed policemen blocked both ends of the road leading to the venue of the event.
It said, “The Nigeria Police must desist from such reckless violation of human right. It is perfectly within the rights of supporters of all candidates, or all political parties to carry out peaceful activities.
“The duty of the police is to facilitate peaceful conduct of such political gatherings — no matter the political party or candidate being supported or opposed. Freedom of association and peaceful assembly is not exclusive to one political party and its supporters.
“The incident is part of a troubling pattern of repression by police targeting opposition members in various parts of the country. Such repeated attacks and intimidation against opposition supporters could make it more difficult for them to associate freely and hold public gatherings.”
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
