#FreeNnamdiKanuNow: Nigeria Only Pretending to Practise Democracy — Dele Farotimi

Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has criticised the Nigerian Police and the judiciary, saying their actions during recent protests reveal that Nigeria is merely pretending to operate as a democracy.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Farotimi condemned the suppression of peaceful demonstrations and the use of court orders to restrict citizens’ rights to assemble, describing these as clear signs of democratic decay.

“In a democracy, there should never be a need for a police permit before you may have a protest,” he said. “The police are only meant to be informed so they can provide security. That a court would presume to curtail the right of citizens to protest peacefully in a democracy suggests we’re not in a democracy — we’re only mimicking one.”

Farotimi’s comments followed Monday’s #FreeNnamdiKanu protest in Abuja, where demonstrators — led by activist Omoyele Sowore — called for the release of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu. The protesters defied police warnings and a court order before they were dispersed with tear gas by security operatives.

He described the concept of citizens needing police permission to protest as “completely unheard of” in any true democracy, noting that the police are public servants, not gatekeepers of citizens’ rights.

“It is ridiculous that citizens would need permission from their paid employees before they can congregate peacefully,” he stated.

Farotimi also accused the judiciary of losing its independence and becoming an arm of the executive branch, saying, “I’m sorry to say our judiciary is unfit for purpose. It does exactly as it is told by the executive and does not serve the cause of justice.”

He argued that only violent demonstrators should face arrest, not peaceful protesters, recalling his own experience of being prosecuted under a “non-existent law” — which he said highlighted the dysfunction of Nigeria’s legal system.

Expressing disillusionment with the government’s response to civic action, he added:
“Why I don’t join protests is because I know they are merely protesting to the deaf. The Nigerian state is deaf; it does not listen.”

Reflecting on the #EndSARS movement, Farotimi said the government’s cosmetic reforms — renaming the disbanded unit from SARS to SWAT — demonstrated its unwillingness to enact meaningful change.

“End SARS, they changed the name to SWAT; today it is RRS. It is the character and nature that have not changed. The Nigerian state does not change anything for anybody. It is not interested in pleasing those who presume themselves to be citizens,” he concluded.

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