Human Right Violation: SERAP Drags Wike To ECOWAS Court

The continuous alleged violation of human rights by the Federal Government and some Nigerian governors has continually been pointed out by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

It will be recalled that the human rights organization recently berated Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state for allegedly using the COVID-19 regulation to maltreat the people of the state.

Naija News learnt SERAP launched legal action against governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari at the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja over the “brutal crackdown, repression, and grave violations and abuses of the human rights of the people of Rivers State.”

SERAP said in suit number ECW/CCJ/APP/20/20 filed last Friday: “Governor Wike is using COVID-19 as a pretext to step up repression and systematic abuses against the people of Rivers state, including by carrying out mass arbitrary detention, mistreatment, forced evictions, and imposing pervasive controls on daily life.”

According to SERAP: “Governor Wike is using executive orders 1 and 6, 2020 as instruments to violate and abuse the rights to liberty and freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention, to a fair trial, and to property, contrary to Nigeria’s international human rights obligations, including under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

SERAP also  asked the court for an order of injunction to “restrain and stop Governor Wike from further using, applying and enforcing executive orders 1 and 6 or any other executive orders to harass, arbitrarily arrest, detain and demolish property of the people of Rivers state.”

SERAP is also seeking an order directing “Governor Wike and the other defendants to pay adequate monetary compensation to the victims of human rights violations and abuses, and to provide other forms of reparation, which may take the form of restitution, satisfaction or guarantees of non-repetition, and other forms of reparation that the Honourable Court may deem fit to grant.”