Protesters demand rights group, Amnesty International leave Nigeria

Protesters demand rights group, Amnesty International leave Nigeria

Protesters yesterday mounted a demonstration outside the Abuja office of Amnesty International to demand their immediate exit from Nigeria. Isa Sanusi

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Protesters yesterday mounted a demonstration outside the Abuja office of Amnesty International to demand their immediate exit from Nigeria. Isa Sanusi, a spokesperson for the group in Nigeria, said the protesters appeared to be pro-government, and they expressed anger about how the group has been critical of the Buhari administration. The demonstrators also held placards critical of Amnesty International and chanted disparaging songs against the rights group.

The protest comes hours after reports emerged on social media that the government was planning to target the group and blacklist it as a threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty amidst allegation that it was sympathetic to an upcoming nationwide protest. The nationwide protest, tagged ‘RevolutionNow’, was planned by Omoyele Sowore, a media personality, activist and politician. The protest had been planned to commence on August 5 in at least 21 cities across the country.

Friday’s protest against Amnesty International is not the first against the global rights group. A similar protest happened months ago with protesters getting paid after participating in the protest.