Adeyanju accuses Tinubu government of encouraging anarchy by criminalizing protests

Human rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju has slammed President Bola Tinubu’s administration for allegedly encouraging anarchy by trying to criminalize peaceful protests.

In an interview with AIT, Adeyanju questioned the reasons behind the government’s hostility towards demonstrations aimed at addressing bad governance.

Adeyanju expressed his disbelief at the government’s stance, asking, “How can protests against bad governance become a threat to overthrow the government?”

He criticized Tinubu, saying that as a prominent figure of the June 12 democracy struggle, he should not lead a government that opposes the protests. “He was one of the major beneficiaries of the June 12 struggle. Yet, we now see the police behaving like politicians — actions that enabled military rule in the country in the first place,” Adeyanju said.

Warning about the dangers of suppressing dissent, Adeyanju likened it to recent events in Bangladesh, saying, “Unreasonable and irrational politicians brought down a democratically elected government. The current government is inviting anarchy by making peaceful protest impossible.”

Read also: Wanted British national claims Nigerian government unsettled by #EndBadGovernance protests

He also criticized the government’s priorities, highlighting the inconsistency in labeling protests as treason while terrorists operate freely. “Terrorists are dancing and sharing their loot on TikTok, an emir is kidnapped, yet the government is more upset by the protests,” Adeyanju said.

He added, “Even under the military regime, protests continued to occur. This government is making things worse by violating people’s rights and trying to criminalize protests and press freedom.”

Concluding his remarks, Adeyanju warned the government about its approach to civil unrest. “The government’s body language shows that they do not want protests. They are doing all this because the protests are scheduled for October 1. This will only fuel public hatred for democracy, making the government a major force undermining it,” he warned.

Adeyanju’s post accuses Tinubu’s government of encouraging anarchy by criminalizing protests first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.