Abuja: Stakeholders in the human rights sector have urged Nigerian authorities to adopt rights-based approaches in managing public protests across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT). They stated this in Abuja at a one-day sensitisation workshop on the promotion and protection of the right to peaceful assembly in Nigeria.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the workshop was organised by an NGO, PRAWA, in collaboration with Legend Golden Care Foundation (LGCF), and funded by the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT). In her opening remarks, Dr Uju Agomoh, PRAWA President, and Member of the United Nations Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture, warned that effective policing depends on trust, dialogue, and compliance with legal frameworks.
Agomoh highlighted findings from the 2024 National Protest Perception Survey, which examined Nigerians’ views on public demonstrations and the role of law enforcement. She commended Dahiru Muhammed, PRAWA’s Manager, Research and Documentation, for leading the survey and coordinating weekly analyses in partnership with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
She said that the initiative included webinars to discuss results and generate insights for policymakers and security agencies. ‘The workshop would present multiple outputs from the survey, including comprehensive reports, policy briefs, information, education and communication materials. There will also be a documentary, and a training manual aimed at equipping law enforcement officers with the skills to manage protests professionally and in line with human rights standards.’
Agomoh said the initiative aimed to foster constructive dialogue between security agencies and civil society, promote nationwide sensitisation on rights-compliant protest management, and translate survey findings into actionable recommendations for law enforcement. She emphasised that participants must extend the impact of the workshop beyond the room, identifying and documenting the number of people they could influence within their offices, commands, or networks, thereby creating a multiplier effect for the project.
In her welcome address, the LGCF Executive Director, Mrs Kanayo Olisa-Metuh, also called for stronger adherence to human-rights-based policing during public demonstrations. Olisa-Metuh said that professional conduct, accountability and empathy were essential to restoring public trust in law enforcement while expressing gratitude to IRCT for funding the workshop and for sending a representative to provide moral support.
She noted that excessive force, intimidation and torture had resulted in physical harm and contributed to the erosion of public confidence in law enforcement institutions. Conversely, she said situations that could have turned violent were often managed peacefully when officers applied human-rights-compliant techniques, including de-escalation and communication skills.
Declaring the workshop open, the UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Mohamed Fall, called on relevant authorities to strengthen the protection of the right to peaceful assembly, describing it as a fundamental element of democracy and everyday human dignity. Fall, who was represented by Adwoa Kuffour-Owusu, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, praised the continued openness of the police and the unwavering commitment of civil society to human rights protection.
In attendance were representatives from the Nigeria Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Correctional Service, Embassy of Switzerland, National Human Rights Commission, among others. Highpoints of the event were survivors’ voices, panel discussions, paper presentations, documentary screening, group works, post-workshop and assessment.