Are the police right to deny Tuface, others right to protest?

The police were not right. The duty of the police is to provide
security and ensure that the protest is not hijacked.

This is a protest to express the feelings of Nigerians because,
whether we like it or not, there is freedom of association,
expression and we can express our feelings in any way as far as it
does not breach the peace or go contrary to the law. As far as we
are concerned, there is no law stating that Nigerians should not
embark on a peaceful protest.

So, I think the protest being championed by Tuface is in order.
If the police have security concerns, as they claim that they do,
that is why they are the police.

They have been entrusted with that mandate to protect lives and
property. So, what they should do is to ensure maximum security
during and after the protest.

We watch the United States; we watch the UK, where the citizens
protest and are given maximum security. They are not coerced to put
a stop to their protest. So, the Nigeria Police Force should be
thinking like a 21st century security agency.

The protest bothers on welfare of the people; we need improved
welfare in this country. We cannot continue like this.

If the people in government continue like this, Nigerians will
have no other option than to send them packing in 2019.
•Theophilus Ibodeme (A human rights
activist)

It is not right for the police to deny Mr. Innocent Idibia,
popularly known as Tuface, and other organisers, the right to
protest. In fact, it is bad for the  police to stop the
protest.

Protest is an integral part of democracy. Even in advanced
democracies, people are allowed freedom of expression and assembly.
People show their grievances and disapproval of events in their
countries and even government policies and programmes, through
peaceful protests. During the inauguration of the President of the
United States, Mr. Donald Trump, many people protested against him
and the police did not stop them.

Peaceful protest is part of democracy and people should not be
denied that. If people have any resentment against government’s
policies and programmes or even with the situation in the country,
if you do not allow them to protest, you allow their anger to be
bottled up which is dangerous for the development of the
society.

I believe that the police action of stopping aggrieved citizens
the right to peacefully protest and preventing them from
participating in such a peaceful protest, is antithetical to
democracy. Not only that, there should not be any excuse that the
people who are organising the protest should not be able to control
it. What is the role of the police if we are not saying that the
organisers of the protest would  control it? It is the work of
the police to make sure that the protesters are well managed and
controlled. You cannot stop a protest on the anticipation of
violence. I believe that it is a very wrong position.

It is advisable for the police not to cow the people. They
should be allowed their right to peaceful
demonstration.   • Mr.
Iyiola Oyedepo (A factional Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party,
Kwara State chapter)

The police have the right to stop demonstrations if security
reports or intelligence reveals that it may disrupt public peace
and order. You remember the ‘Ali must go’ protest; the police
warned against it. You know the number of people that died in the
riot and also during the M.K.O. Abiola June 12 protests. We should
always listen to the security agencies.

But where I differ is when the police start dancing to
government tunes, reading the body language of the government and
using that to stop such a rally if it is going to be peaceful.

When you look at Tuface Idibia, he may be peaceful, but majority
of those who listen to his music may do something that may disrupt
the peace.

I think the Lagos State Commissioner of Police was right; he had
studied the security situation. I learnt he carried out the
security assessment with the Department of State Services. From
what I gathered, they are stopping it because they know that the
protest could be hijacked.

As a security expert, I understand that there is hunger in the
land and when people are hungry, they will be angry and because of
that, there is no way they will not unleash their anger on innocent
people who don’t want to join. There is no way you won’t see
disruption of public peace.

If they say they will go to a stadium, and hold all their
activities there, invite the media to help them broadcast it for
those in government to hear it, that is better. But to allow them
to hold the protest on the streets of Lagos, I don’t think that is
wise. •Ben Okezie ( A security
analyst)

The problem is that we operate as if there is no law in Nigeria.
In the USA, people protest every day. People there obey laws; they
know they have rights and the law is applicable.

Even on the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration, people protested
and we saw how the police reacted. They did not harass, beat up or
kill anybody. If you destroy or loot property under the guise of
protest, you should be arrested. But if you stay in front of a
building or you move on the streets peacefully, there is nothing
wrong with it and nobody should harass you. All you need do is to
advise the protesters to remain law abiding.

Those that protested on the day of Trump’s swearing in did not
give him or the police any notice. Why would you give notice that
you are protesting on a particular day?

Successful protests in this country were not planned. If you
remember the protest of Otokoto in Imo State that caused riot in
Owerri in 1997 and led to destruction of some hotels, it was not
planned. This is why I am saying you don’t plan protests. This
Tuface protest was ab initio planned to fail. How would
you give the police notice that you are protesting? I have led
protests in the past and we don’t give the police notice. •
Mr. Higher Kings (A legal practitioner)

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as
amended), guarantees Nigerians the following fundamental rights
viz: the rights to personal liberty, freedoms of movement and
expression, and the right to hold and disseminate opinions.

These rights were not enshrined in the constitution through the
benevolence of any dictator or any leviathan under any guise. They
were the products of the struggles of the Nigerian people who
through their sweat and blood paid the price of the liberty we
enjoy today.

Thus, it is not a power at large to any law enforcement agency
to derogate from fundamental rights at its whim, passions and
indiscretions.

These officers of state are paid to protect the rights and
liberties of citizens as their servants; not their masters.

The second issue is that it is a good development that the Lagos
State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, has security reports
and his task is to prevent such a hijack from happening.
•Eze Onyepere (Executive Director, Centre for Social
Justice)

The right to protest is part of citizens rights in a democracy.
Institutions of government, such as the police, owe citizens a duty
to ensure that this right is protected within the confines of the
law. It is not for the police to stop peaceful protests from taking
place.

In civilised societies where democracy is the norm, the police
provide security cover for peaceful protests; we cannot afford to
be different. I expect the police to behave like their counterparts
in such societies.

I think we should train our policemen and other security
agencies on how to handle such matters in a democracy while they
carry out the functions of law enforcement. Protesters also have a
civic duty to be peaceful as they make their views known.
• Auwul Rafsanjani  (Executive Director, Civil
Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre)

The post Are the police right to deny Tuface, others right
to protest? appeared first from online sources and was reposted by the community on Welcome to 9jalegal –
Nigeria’s Leading Legal Information and Services Portal.

The police were not right. The duty of the police is to provide
security and ensure that the protest is not hijacked.

This is a protest to express the feelings of Nigerians because,
whether we like it or not, there is freedom of association,
expression and we can express our feelings in any way as far as it
does not breach the peace or go contrary to the law. As far as we
are concerned, there is no law stating that Nigerians should not
embark on a peaceful protest.

So, I think the protest being championed by Tuface is in order.
If the police have security concerns, as they claim that they do,
that is why they are the police.

They have been entrusted with that mandate to protect lives and
property. So, what they should do is to ensure maximum security
during and after the protest.

We watch the United States; we watch the UK, where the citizens
protest and are given maximum security. They are not coerced to put
a stop to their protest. So, the Nigeria Police Force should be
thinking like a 21st century security agency.

The protest bothers on welfare of the people; we need improved
welfare in this country. We cannot continue like this.

If the people in government continue like this, Nigerians will
have no other option than to send them packing in 2019.
•Theophilus Ibodeme (A human rights
activist)

It is not right for the police to deny Mr. Innocent Idibia,
popularly known as Tuface, and other organisers, the right to
protest. In fact, it is bad for the  police to stop the
protest.

Protest is an integral part of democracy. Even in advanced
democracies, people are allowed freedom of expression and assembly.
People show their grievances and disapproval of events in their
countries and even government policies and programmes, through
peaceful protests. During the inauguration of the President of the
United States, Mr. Donald Trump, many people protested against him
and the police did not stop them.

Peaceful protest is part of democracy and people should not be
denied that. If people have any resentment against government’s
policies and programmes or even with the situation in the country,
if you do not allow them to protest, you allow their anger to be
bottled up which is dangerous for the development of the
society.

I believe that the police action of stopping aggrieved citizens
the right to peacefully protest and preventing them from
participating in such a peaceful protest, is antithetical to
democracy. Not only that, there should not be any excuse that the
people who are organising the protest should not be able to control
it. What is the role of the police if we are not saying that the
organisers of the protest would  control it? It is the work of
the police to make sure that the protesters are well managed and
controlled. You cannot stop a protest on the anticipation of
violence. I believe that it is a very wrong position.

It is advisable for the police not to cow the people. They
should be allowed their right to peaceful
demonstration.   • Mr.
Iyiola Oyedepo (A factional Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party,
Kwara State chapter)

The police have the right to stop demonstrations if security
reports or intelligence reveals that it may disrupt public peace
and order. You remember the ‘Ali must go’ protest; the police
warned against it. You know the number of people that died in the
riot and also during the M.K.O. Abiola June 12 protests. We should
always listen to the security agencies.

But where I differ is when the police start dancing to
government tunes, reading the body language of the government and
using that to stop such a rally if it is going to be peaceful.

When you look at Tuface Idibia, he may be peaceful, but majority
of those who listen to his music may do something that may disrupt
the peace.

I think the Lagos State Commissioner of Police was right; he had
studied the security situation. I learnt he carried out the
security assessment with the Department of State Services. From
what I gathered, they are stopping it because they know that the
protest could be hijacked.

As a security expert, I understand that there is hunger in the
land and when people are hungry, they will be angry and because of
that, there is no way they will not unleash their anger on innocent
people who don’t want to join. There is no way you won’t see
disruption of public peace.

If they say they will go to a stadium, and hold all their
activities there, invite the media to help them broadcast it for
those in government to hear it, that is better. But to allow them
to hold the protest on the streets of Lagos, I don’t think that is
wise. •Ben Okezie ( A security
analyst)

The problem is that we operate as if there is no law in Nigeria.
In the USA, people protest every day. People there obey laws; they
know they have rights and the law is applicable.

Even on the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration, people protested
and we saw how the police reacted. They did not harass, beat up or
kill anybody. If you destroy or loot property under the guise of
protest, you should be arrested. But if you stay in front of a
building or you move on the streets peacefully, there is nothing
wrong with it and nobody should harass you. All you need do is to
advise the protesters to remain law abiding.

Those that protested on the day of Trump’s swearing in did not
give him or the police any notice. Why would you give notice that
you are protesting on a particular day?

Successful protests in this country were not planned. If you
remember the protest of Otokoto in Imo State that caused riot in
Owerri in 1997 and led to destruction of some hotels, it was not
planned. This is why I am saying you don’t plan protests. This
Tuface protest was ab initio planned to fail. How would
you give the police notice that you are protesting? I have led
protests in the past and we don’t give the police notice. •
Mr. Higher Kings (A legal practitioner)

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as
amended), guarantees Nigerians the following fundamental rights
viz: the rights to personal liberty, freedoms of movement and
expression, and the right to hold and disseminate opinions.

These rights were not enshrined in the constitution through the
benevolence of any dictator or any leviathan under any guise. They
were the products of the struggles of the Nigerian people who
through their sweat and blood paid the price of the liberty we
enjoy today.

Thus, it is not a power at large to any law enforcement agency
to derogate from fundamental rights at its whim, passions and
indiscretions.

These officers of state are paid to protect the rights and
liberties of citizens as their servants; not their masters.

The second issue is that it is a good development that the Lagos
State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, has security reports
and his task is to prevent such a hijack from happening.
•Eze Onyepere (Executive Director, Centre for Social
Justice)

The right to protest is part of citizens rights in a democracy.
Institutions of government, such as the police, owe citizens a duty
to ensure that this right is protected within the confines of the
law. It is not for the police to stop peaceful protests from taking
place.

In civilised societies where democracy is the norm, the police
provide security cover for peaceful protests; we cannot afford to
be different. I expect the police to behave like their counterparts
in such societies.

I think we should train our policemen and other security
agencies on how to handle such matters in a democracy while they
carry out the functions of law enforcement. Protesters also have a
civic duty to be peaceful as they make their views known.
• Auwul Rafsanjani  (Executive Director, Civil
Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre)

The post Are the police right to deny Tuface, others right
to protest? appeared first from online sources and was reposted by the community on Welcome to 9jalegal –
Nigeria’s Leading Legal Information and Services Portal.