Civil rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has queried the type of democracy being run in Nigeria. He criticised the Nigerian Police and judiciary for their handling of peaceful protests by those seeking the release of detained Biafran leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
He said their actions showed that Nigeria is only pretending to practise democracy.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Farotimi argued that the suppression of protests and court restrictions on citizens’ rights to assemble freely are clear signs that the country has strayed from democratic norms.
He said, “In a democracy, there should never be a need for a police permit before you may have a protest. The police were informed so that they would provide security. That a court would presume to curtail the right of citizens to protest peacefully in a democracy is even suggestive of the fact that we’re not in a democracy. We’re only mimicking and pretending to be in one.”
His remarks came after Monday’s protest in Abuja led by activist Omoyele Sowore and other #FreeNnamdiKanu agitators demanding the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. The protesters defied a court order and police warnings as they marched with placards and chanted slogans before security operatives dispersed them with tear gas.
Farotimi described the idea of citizens needing police permission to protest as “completely unheard of” in a democracy.
According to him, the police are public servants, not gatekeepers of citizens’ rights.
“It is ridiculous that citizens would need permission from their paid employees before they can congregate peacefully,” he said.
The activist also faulted the judiciary, accusing it of losing its independence and serving the interests of the executive.
“I’m sorry to say our judiciary is unfit for purpose. It does exactly as it is told by the executive and does not serve the cause of justice,” he said, adding that “an order is only as useful as its lawfulness.”
Farotimi maintained that only those who engage in violence should face arrest during protests, not peaceful demonstrators. He recalled his own experience of being prosecuted under a “non-existent law,” which he said illustrated the dysfunction within Nigeria’s legal system.
He further expressed frustration with the government’s indifference to public outcry.
“Why I don’t join protests is because I know they are merely protesting to the deaf. The Nigerian state is deaf; it does not listen,” he said.
Reflecting on the 2020 #EndSARS movement, Farotimi argued that the government’s response - renaming the police unit instead of reforming it – showed that little had changed.
“End SARS, they changed the name to SWAT; today it is RRS. It is the character and nature that have not changed. The Nigerian state does not change anything for anybody. It is not interested in pleasing those who presume themselves to be citizens,” he said
