The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has joined others in the civil rights community to condemn the arrest and detention of Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, by the Nigeria Police on New Year eve.
CNG views the arrest of Sowore along with four of his friends during a candlelight procession to usher in the New Year in Abuja as another sign of brutal encroachments on people’s fundamental rights that is becoming the hallmark of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
In a statement issued by its spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman said, “We remind government and its agencies that the universal right to move freely means that a person cannot be arbitrarily forced to remain in, or move to or from, a particular place.
“The right includes freedom from physical and procedural barriers, like requiring permission before entering a public park or participating in a public demonstration in a public place.
Based on the above premise, we view Sowore’s arrest for participating in a religious rite indiscriminate, unwarranted, uncalled for and downright unacceptable and a dangerous tendency towards totalitarian oppression and suppression of people’s rights,” CNG said.
