O<\/p>\n
By Grorge Mgbeleke<\/p>\n
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) says security agencies are displaying open bias and supporting the ruling party by allegedly failing to arrest APC officials who threaten opposition politicians in different parts of Nigeria.
\nHURIWA in a statement by its national coordinator,Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko says this display of partisanship must stop. The association urges security agencies to stop arresting or intimidating youths who demand that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be voted out of office.
\nHURIWA says citizens have the democratic right to express their opinions freely, including calling for a change of government. The association insists that security agencies must equally protect Nigerians who campaign for Tinubu to remain in office for another term.
\nThe association expresses concern over allegations that the police blocked members of the \u2018Tinubu Must Go\u2019 movement from holding a meeting in Kano State.
\nAbba Hikima, a lawyer and one of the movement\u2019s conveners, alleged in a video posted on his verified Facebook page on October 11, 2026, that the police deployed more than 10 mobile police vehicles to prevent members from accessing a venue they had booked for their meeting.
\nHURIWA says the police must respect citizens\u2019 constitutional rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and must not use security operations to frustrate lawful political gatherings.
\nThe association notes that Hikima claimed he had spoken with Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, and assured him that the planned meeting would be peaceful and lawful.
\nHURIWA says security agencies should address genuine security concerns through lawful and proportionate measures rather than prevent citizens from expressing their political views.
\nThe association also condemns the alleged arrest of members of the \u2018Tinubu Must Go\u2019 movement in Maiduguri, Borno State, which the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has described as an abuse of power and an attempt to silence dissenting voices.
\nHURIWA says Nigerians have the right to support or oppose any political party or candidate, including calling for Tinubu to leave office after his current term, provided they exercise their rights within the law.
\nThe association insists that the slogan \u2018Tinubu Must Go\u2019 represents a political position and that authorities must establish any specific unlawful conduct before taking punitive action against those who use it.
\nHURIWA calls on the relevant authorities in Borno State to clarify the circumstances surrounding the reported arrests, disclose the legal grounds for any continued detention and ensure that the rights and safety of those affected remain protected.
\nThe association urges the Kano State Police Command to explain the circumstances surrounding the alleged obstruction of the movement\u2019s meeting and clarify whether the action followed a specific security assessment or lawful directive.
\nHURIWA says the police must not treat peaceful opposition to the President as a security offence while allowing supporters of his re-election to campaign freely.
\nThe association stresses that the same democratic principles protect citizens who demand a change of government and those who support the President\u2019s return to office.
\nHURIWA warns that selective enforcement of the law could undermine public confidence in security institutions and weaken public participation in the 2027 general elections.
\nThe association urges the Inspector-General of Police and other heads of security agencies to direct their officers to remain politically neutral, protect peaceful political activities and investigate threats against opposition politicians regardless of party affiliation.
\nHURIWA also calls on political parties and political movements to conduct their activities peacefully and comply with the law, while urging authorities to respect citizens\u2019 fundamental rights.
\nThe association says Nigeria\u2019s democracy cannot thrive if security agencies appear to protect one political interest while restricting the rights of those who hold opposing views.
\nHURIWA therefore demands impartial policing, transparent investigations into the reported incidents in Kano and Maiduguri, and respect for the constitutional rights of all Nigerians ahead of the 2027 elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
O By Grorge Mgbeleke The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) says security agencies are displaying open bias and supporting the ruling party by allegedly failing to arrest APC officials who threaten opposition politicians in different parts of Nigeria. HURIWA in a statement by its national coordinator,Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko says this display of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18477"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18478,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18477\/revisions\/18478"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}