The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to cease using Nigeria’s security agencies to intimidate citizens exercising their human rights.
In an open letter dated October 19, 2024, SERAP expressed concern over a recent defamation lawsuit filed by two officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) against the organisation. The lawsuit followed allegations of a security raid on its Abuja office.
SERAP’s Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare stated that the lawsuit represents an alarming trend of using the DSS and defamation laws as tools to suppress dissent. He accused the government of failing to address significant issues like corruption in the oil sector while targeting those advocating for accountability.
The organisation warned that continued judicial harassment of human rights defenders and journalists undermines democracy and deepens impunity.
“It is critical for human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and other citizens to be able to organise and freely exercise their human rights without the threat of baseless lawsuits from your government or its security agencies and/or their proxies”, the statement read.
SERAP urged the government to prioritise investigations into corruption allegations and reverse the recent increase in petrol prices, rather than targeting those calling for change.
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