Make human rights protection priority - Amnesty International tells Tinubu

Bola Tinubu has failed to uphold human rights in Nigeria after spending six months in office as the country's president, Amnesty International has said.

The International human rights body said this at a public presentation of a document titled, “Nigeria: Human Rights Agenda 2023,” in Abuja on Wednesday, November 29.

“Tinubu unveiled new government policies that do not address rampant human rights violations across the country,” a press statement issued at the launch of the human rights agenda said.

The body added that Tinubu has the chance to ensure that everyone enjoys human rights.

It urged the president to “hold perpetrators of past rights violations to account.”

In an opening statement, Isa Sanusi, country director, Amnesty International Nigeria, said it was imperative to set an agenda for the Tinubu-led administration in the area of human rights protection.

“We implore the government to make human rights protection its priority by ensuring that everyone Nigerian’s rights are protected, and that perpetrators of rights breaches do not go unpunished.

“We appeal to the government to study the document and come up with a plan on how to implement it,” Mr Sanusi.

Also, Auwal Rafsanjani, board chairman, Amnesty International Nigeria, said the human rights body was not “anti-government,” but opposed to egregious rights violations that are rampant in the country.

Rafsanjani urged the government to prevent rights violations, and “if they occur, the government must investigate and bring perpetrators to justice.”