A group of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in Niger Republic, where some civil society leaders are being harassed and detained by President Mahamadou Issoufou in the last three years.
In a statement signed by 16 of the group, the CSOs said that President Buhari should intervene in the spirit of good neighborliness and the ECOWAS supplementary protocol on democracy and good governance.
The Nigerian CSOs expressed concern that civil society activists in Niger republic have ‘’come under siege from state actors in a crackdown that has led to a series of arrests and detentions’’.
The statement, which listed 23 of such detainees, said that ‘’they were charged for participation in an illegal demonstration and were sent to jail without trial. At the same time, the radio and television station—Radio et Television Labarai (RTL) was closed down.’’
The Nigerian activists pleaded with Buhari to secure the release of the civil society leaders ‘’and the edification and the rule of law.’’
The CSOs noted that there is ‘’significant decline of democratic culture in Niger due to the rise of authoritarianism and attack on the rule of law by President Mahamadou Issoufou.’’
The statement however called on ‘’the good people of Niger to continue with determination of their struggle for the defence of democratic and civil rights in their country.’’
They also appealed for a review of the 2018 budget, which has increased the austerity measures in Niger and increased suffering and misery of the masses in the country.
