By Victoria Onehi
Plan International, a child and girls’ rights non-governmental organisation, has expressed concern about the management of the ongoing protest by young people in Nigeria.
In a statement, the organisation disclosed that it was worried over what it called excessive attempts at forceful dispersal of peaceful protesters by security operatives at locations in Nigeria, while hoodlums and miscreants in some other places were not accosted while damaging public property and looting private facilities.
“The use of force against protesting citizens who were exercising their rights to undertake a peaceful protest is unacceptable in a democratic setting, especially where the constitution in Section 40 guarantees citizens the right to peaceful assembly and association,” stated Plan International Nigeria’s Country Director, Charles Usie.
While condemning the act of some hoodlums and miscreants who took advantage of the protests to commit crimes of arson and theft in some locations he further said that “we find it unacceptable that some persons took advantage of a genuine expression of discontent with the living conditions of Nigerians to commit crimes”.
“We call on relevant security agencies to devote energies and resources to prevent such incidences of hoodlums acting under the guise of aligning with peaceful protests to cause public harm, rather than the targeting of dispersals of organized peaceful protests.”
Usie assessing the situation expressed the belief that “if the resources devoted to preventing the gathering and processions of peaceful protesters were directed at stopping miscreants, incidences of arsons and theft of public and private properties would have been curtailed by the security agencies.
While calling on youths, their allies and friends to exercise their fundamental right to protest within the bounds of the Nigerian legal system,while calling for good governance Usie also called on security agencies to protect the lives of Nigerian protesters and adopt strategic policing within protest venues to safeguard protesters and prevent casualties.
He further called on the government to “as a matter of urgency put in place an inclusive, transgenerational committee comprising girls, young women, people with disabilities, and other stakeholders to engage with the demands of young people, ensuring a citizen-driven approach to addressing their concerns.”
