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Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has slammed the Department of State Services (DSS) for threatening harmless Nigerians over the planned protest scheduled for Wednesday, June 12, over the worsening economic situation in the country.
Adeyanju described the statement issued by the DSS Director, Public Relations & Strategic Communications, Peter Afunanya as affront to the democratic values which would be resisted through every available legal means.
He stated this in a release he made available to journalists just as he called on the service to tread with caution and not to truncate the nation’s democratic tenet and principles.
He noted that the service had the responsibility to maintain national security, adding that freedom of expression and assembly were fundamental rights as enshrined in the constitution and must be protected.
“I am compelled to respond to the Department of State Services’ (DSS) public statement on the planned protests scheduled for June 12, 2024, regarding the worsening economic conditions of the Nigerian masses.
“While the DSS has the responsibility to maintain national security, it is essential to recognize that freedom of expression and assembly are fundamental rights enshrined in our constitution. These rights are the bedrock of democracy, and any attempt to suppress them is a threat to our democratic values and will be resisted through every available legal means.
“Ironically, the present administration of President Tinubu that rode to power on the back of protests and demonstrations is now threatening the fundamental rights of citizens. It is indeed hypocritical to attempt to stifle the same rights that were exercised by those who brought them to power.
“I urge the DSS and the Federal Government to respect citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and expression. Rather than threatening protesters, they should go and face bandits, terrorists and kidnappers terrorising Nigerians unchallenged.
“In solidarity, I call on all Nigerians to exercise their rights peacefully and responsibly and urge security agencies to protect protesters and ensure their safety”
It would be recalled that the secret police had in a statement threatened Nigerians who are planning to exercise their fundamental human rights to freedom of expression as stipulated in the Section 39 and Section 40 of the 1999 constitution as amended.
The statement also described them as disgruntled elements disgruntled groups who are aimed to cause a breakdown of law and order.
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