A former National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Malachy Ugwummadu has described as overreaching and uncalled for the overzealous conduct of law enforcement agencies in cordoning off the premises of the organisation’s national headquarters.
In a statement he released on Friday, Ugwummadu described the police invasion as a decline to fascism.
The former president of the organisation also called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to direct the immediate withdrawal of men and officers of the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Police at the premises of the CDHR forthwith.
He warned that the CDHR will seriously mobilize against such intimidation and lawlessness if the Lagos State Police Command does not withdraw its men immediately.
“Coming on the heels of the unlawful invasion of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Headquarters on Wednesday the 8th of August, 2024 signals the government’s intolerance to dissent and plurality of opinion which are cardinal signposts of liberal democracy. It’s an unfortunate decline to fascism which is unacceptable,” he said.
READ FULL STATEMENT
POLICE INVASION OF THE CDHR SIGNPOSTS
DECLINE TO FASCISMBY MALACHY UGWUMMADU
FORMER NATIONAL PRESIDENT, CDHR (2015-19)As early as 5a.m today Friday the 9th of August, 2024, a detachment of the Lagos State Police Command arrived at the premises of National Headquarters and Secretariat of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) along Adeniyi Jones Street, Ikeja Lagos and Cordoned it off.
At about 7a.m they gained entrance into the premises conducting general surveillance and thereafter positioned themselves in a manner that established their undisclosed mission. It is believed that they had to disrupt the operations of the organization and thelegitimate businesses of other occupants of the RightsHouse Comprising four floors and accommodating multiple businesses and corporate entities.
About an hour later, a reinforcement of more detachments in their signature Hilux Vans and buses arrived totally about 30 (thirty) of them invaded the premises, this time forcing occupants of the premisesto hurriedly close their offices for fear of the unknown.
Needless to add that they were armed to the teeth as captured on camera. Virtually every activity within the premises became disrupted thereby forcing business owners, client and customers to cancel their appointments and engagements.
This is clearly overreaching and uncalled for. Such overzealous conducts on the part of the Nigerian law enforcement agencies underscore lack of training and professionalism. Besides being unlawful, unconstitutional and against the principles of democracy in relation to citizens’ rights to liberty, expression, association and assembly under Sections 35, 39, and 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Altered). Such behaviours further exacerbate the fragile state of the Nation and infuriate the citizens of this Country who are currently going through the excruciating difficulties of survival and insecurity.
We understand that the only program scheduled to hold today at the Rights House is a symposium organized by another civil society group known as the Education Right Campaign (ERC).In this regard, the Inspector General of Police is called upon to direct the immediate withdrawal of men and officers of the Lagos State Command of the Nigerian Police at the premises of the CDHR forthwith.
Coming on the heels of the unlawful invasion of theNigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Headquarters on Wednesday the 8th of August, 2024 signals Government’s intolerance to dissent and plurality of opinion which are cardinal signposts of liberal democracy. It’s an unfortunate decline to fascism which is unacceptable.In 2017, and several years after the CDHR had initiated and collaborated with the Lagos State Police Command to create the Human Rights Desks in all Commands and Police Stations across the State, we had a similarexperience on the 18th of September, 2019. The sameLagos Police Command invaded the premises of the CDHR on the excuse that a group opposed to the Government of the day was going to hold a press conference there. I was then the National President of the CDHR and proceded straight to the then Commissioner of Police to know why he directed such unlawful operation. I reminded him that we had not only encouraged the creation of human rights desks inthe Police Commands across the State but have trained men and officers of the Command before his arrival. Once he was unable to provide satisfactory reasons for that unlawful invasion our office, we mobilized about half a million comrades to their Police Headquarters, Ikeja and protested that invasion in the same manner that they disrupted their own operations, the very next day being the 19th of September, 2019.
The Inspector General of Police and other Law Enforcement Agencies should be reminded thatdeploying such heavy presence of armed operatives against civil society organizations and workers tells so much about the quality of training the law enforcementagencies in Nigeria have received and reminds us oftheir inability to tackle insecurity and violent criminalactivities in the Country.
The CDHR will seriously mobilize against such intimidation and lawlessness if the Lagos State Police Command does not withdraw their men immediately.
