Daniel Akande

Since May 29, 2023, the inception of the Tinubu regime has been marked by relentless attacks on the working masses and dissenting voices in various forms—political, economic, and physical.

The regime’s methods include illegal abduction, arrest, detention, and imprisonment of dissenters, among them journalists, human rights activists, bloggers, and even TikTok creators. In recent months, the Tinubu administration has orchestrated invasions of offices, including the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) headquarters, where security forces targeted a bookstore. They seized political and socio-economic intellectual materials under baseless allegations linking the owner to #EndBadGovernance protesters. This act underscores the regime’s fear of politically aware citizens opposing its ruinous IMF and World Bank-backed socio-economic policies, which have devastated millions of lives and plunged Nigeria into economic despair.

The crackdown extends further, targeting leading organizations such as the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). SERAP has consistently criticized the regime’s political mismanagement and socio-economic policies while resisting its attacks on civic spaces and independent human rights groups. On September 9, 2024, Amnesty International issued a statement condemning these violations, urging the Nigerian authorities to respect constitutional and international human rights obligations, including freedom of expression and association. Amnesty highlighted that these invasions illustrate a readiness by authorities to suppress independent scrutiny and criticism in direct violation of constitutional guarantees.

Growing Repression Against Protesters and Activists

The regime’s oppressive measures were glaringly evident during the protests against bad governance, where excessive force—including tear gas and live ammunition—resulted in the deaths of over 30 protesters. More than 2,000 individuals were arrested, including 29 minors, while 70 journalists have been detained since May 29, 2023. These arrests often involved activists being abducted from their homes, churches, markets, and streets, frequently without their families’ knowledge. Many detainees endured weeks in freezing cells without access to legal counsel or communication with their loved ones.

The regime has also placed 11 human rights activists from the #EndBadGovernance movement on trial for treason. These trials reflect the state’s growing intolerance for dissent, further evidenced by its deployment of security agencies to harass, intimidate, and suppress labor groups and civil society organizations.

One of the most troubling attacks of the Tinubu regime was the arrest of minors in connection with the #EndBadGovernance protests. These children were detained at various police hideouts in Abuja, including the notorious Intelligence Response Team (IRT) facility at Guzape. There, they were subjected to severe hunger and torture and held in a detention centre notorious for harbouring snakes for at least 90 days.

The minors were primarily arrested for exercising their fundamental human rights through their involvement in the #EndBadGovernance protest. Despite this, the regime placed them in detention. Some were even rejected by the Nigerian Correctional Service in Kuje, Abuja, where prison officials refused to admit them, citing their minor status. Shockingly, the IRT officers returned these children to the IRT facility—a detention center meant for adults—where human rights violations were rampant.

When presented in court, the judge who had issued their detention warrant through an ex-parte application by the police, authorizing 60 days of custody for “investigation,” could not endure the sight of the minors’ critical condition and abandoned the proceedings. These children, deprived of food and care, appeared malnourished, and some fainted during the court session. The regime had effectively sentenced them to death through starvation. Our comrade who was an eye-witness in court, Comrade Daniel was filled with emotion even though he underwent the same treatment of injustice at the IRT facility.

Adding salt to the injury, the Tinubu regime accused these minors of treason, claiming they intended to topple the government—a baseless and shameful allegation. After pleading not guilty, the court remanded them, although Justice Obiora Egwuatu granted bail on stringent terms on November 1, 2024.

It took the collective outcry of Nigerians, politically conscious citizens, human rights activists, trade unionists, and the global community, echoes on social media to force the Tinubu government into action. The widespread condemnation embarrassed the regime, particularly over the trial of at least 76 individuals, including 30 children, who faced 10 felony charges, including treason, destruction of property, public disturbance, and mutiny. Some of them were accused of flying Russian flags and planning to overthrow the Nigerian government.

The Nigerian Inspector General of Police’s office denied allegations of mistreatment of detainees, claiming medical aid was provided. It stated that “age does not exempt individuals from facing legal consequences.”

Police spokesperson Muyiwa Ogunjobi further justified the actions on Nigerian television, stating that individuals older than seven years could be arraigned. Despite this, the police prosecutor defended the controversial decision to detain minors when they were presented in court, drawing criticism for supporting such state actions.

On November 4, following the national and international uproar, Tinubu ordered the release of the minors. The members of the Movement for a Socialist Alternative woke up to the news– a statement made by Minister Idris:

“The President has ordered the immediate release of all minors arrested by the Nigeria Police, without prejudice to the legal processes underway. He has also directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction to address their welfare and ensure their smooth reunion with their parents or guardians across the country.”

Without any form of apology, or put in place the necessary check or effect changes in the operating ground rules both in the police and prison system, so that minors will not have to face such again.

Any yet, this is only a tip of the ice bag of what is obtainable, if the mass of the working class fail to unite against the capitalist establishment and have their political party which they can contest to wrestle power from the capitalist.

The Worst Hardship in Decades

Under the Tinubu regime, Nigerians are enduring the worst economic hardship in three decades, characterized by unprecedented inflation, particularly in food prices, and rampant corruption. Human rights activists, including myself, have faced some of the most repressive conditions in recent history, with the state using its security apparatus to silence opposition. Comparisons between Tinubu and Sani Abacha are increasingly common, as both have relied heavily on authoritarian tactics to maintain power.

While the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) guarantees fundamental human rights and Nigeria has ratified several international human rights treaties, violations persist unabated. The Solidarity Network for Workers’ Rights has emphasized that human rights are not privileges but the foundation of democracy. Citizens must retain their rights to peaceful assembly and association without fear of state violence or repression.

The ongoing assault on dissent threatens not only individual freedoms but the very fabric of democracy in Nigeria. It is imperative for citizens and international communities to hold the Tinubu regime accountable and demand the restoration of human rights and freedoms.