Amnesty International has condemned attacks on protesters demanding the release of detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, saying people should be allowed to exercise their right to peaceful protest.

“Amnesty International receives disturbing reports of attempts to crack down on peaceful protests holding in Abuja, calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu,” the organisation said in a statement on Monday. 

“Those arrested must be released immediately. People must be allowed to freely exercise their right to peaceful protest. Any act capable of undermining freedom of assembly is illegal and portrays unacceptable intolerance of peaceful dissent.”

The statement came amid reports that security personnel teargassed and shot at protesters in Abuja, prompting widespread criticism from Nigerians.

The rights organisation said any act aimed at undermining protesters’ freedom of assembly demonstrates the government’s intolerance to dissent, charging Nigerian authorities to protect the rights of citizens as enshrined in the constitution and other extant laws.

It stated, “The Nigerian authorities are to ensure that security agencies respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, as guaranteed by both the country’s own constitution and human rights treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Nigeria is a state party.”

The organisation also tasked the government to uphold the constitution and human rights obligations, which allow people to express themselves freely.

“Authorities must show a commitment to upholding the country’s constitutional and international human rights obligations by allowing people to freely exercise their human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association,” Amnesty International added.