…as NOPRIN seeks upgrade of police cells
The Northern Youth Progressive Network (NYPN) has called for restraint among protesters to allow the Federal Government address their demands.
The group noted that violent protests, which often leads to breakdown of law and order, couldn’t be the solution to the current predicaments confronting the nation.
It urged the protesters to explore dialogue to draw the government’s attention to their plights.
The Convener Northern Youths Progressive Network, Comr. Bala Mohammed said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
The statement read: “The Northern Youth Progressive Network has observed with serious concern the violent dimension taken by the ongoing nationwide protest over economic hardship by Nigerian youths, especially across the Northern part of the country.
“Report reaching us indicates that the protest has suddenly turned violent with large-scale destruction and vandalisation of public infrastructures across some Northern cities of Kano, Kaduna and parts of the FCT while Adamawa, Sokoto, Katsina and Nasarawa have witnessed peaceful procession so far.
“We want to acknowledge that violent protests, which often lead to break down of law and order cannot be the solution to the current predicaments confronting the nation; rather, dialogue should be explored as the essential tool to draw Government attention to our plights.
“If we burn down the nation because we are hungry, there may not be any nation for us to pursue legitimate means of feeding ourselves after the damage may have been caused by anger.
“We call for restraint among our youths to allow the Government to address the issues already expressed through our actions to prevent the situation from degenerating into anarchy.
“We equally urge the Federal and various state governments to quickly intervene to halt the carnage in many Northern States and as well as address some of the pressing demands of the protesters to restore order to the Nation.
Read Also: Kill bandits, not protesters, Ajaero tells Police
“We appreciate the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for rolling out several measures to contain the prevailing economic hardship, which are not peculiar to Nigeria, but we call for speedy implementation of such policies to cushion the hardship on vulnerable people who are easily being used by evil forces to destabilise the nation.”
Meanwhile, the Network On Police Reforms In Nigeria (NOPRIN) has said there is a critical need for reforms in police detention facilities across the country.
The organisation called for a collective responsibility to ensure that these facilities are upgraded to meet international standards.
The Vice Chairperson of NOPRIN, Felicitas Aigbogun, stated this at the public presentation of a comprehensive report on the state of some police detention facilities in Nigeria.
“The findings of this report highlight a critical need for reforms in our police detention facilities. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that these facilities are humane and meet international standards,” Aigbogun stated.
The report was put together by NOPRIN, in partnership with the Judiciary, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through funding support from the German Federal Foreign Office.