August 23, 2018

The Vice President

Federal Republic of Nigeria

The Presidency

Aso Rock Villa

Abuja

Your Excellency

NOPRIN REQUESTS YOUR INTERVENTION TO ENSURE THE

RELEASE OF WOMEN ARRESTED, ARRAIGNED AND HELD IN

PRISON CUSTODY FOR EXPRESSING THEIR RIGHT TO FREEDOM

OF EXPRESSION

Network on Police Reform in Nigeria writes to express serious concerns about the

increasing repression of basic freedoms of Nigerian citizens by security agencies in

Nigeria.

Just few days after the Nigeria Police exposed the country to shame by arresting a

Premium Times reporter, detaining him in an attempt to force him to disclose the

source of a story he wrote and eventually charged him on frivolous allegations for

refusing to compromise internationally recognized journalism principles and

privileges of not disclosing source of information , we are confronted with yet

another episode of arresting unarmed, harmless women for embarking on a

peaceful protest demanding the release of their leader.

The arrest, last Friday by Police in Imo State, of over hundred women

protesting the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of Indigenous

People of Biafra (IPOB) for allegedly conducting an unlawful assembly and

charging them to court leading to their being remanded in prison does great

damage to the democratic credentials of the government.

According to reports, some of the women, mostly of middle age and from the

Southeast states, marched peacefully through the streets of Owerri and did not

engage in violence.

The women were reported to be chanting, dancing and displaying different

placards calling on the Federal Government to release Kanu.

These actions do not amount to conducting an illegal assembly and holding an

unlawful protest as the Imo State Police Command claimed and on the basis of

which they arrested, detained and charged the women.

NOPRIN calls on the Vice President to order the immediate and unconditional

release of the women and to order an end to further police harassment of citizens

and abridgement of citizens rights.

Yours sincerely,

Okechukwu Nwanguma

National Coordinator

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