#EndSARS: Nigerians React As UK Parliament Opens Debate On Petition Against Nigeria, Monday

Hamilton Nwosa
Writer

Ad

The Gift of Hindsight: What I Would Tell My Younger Self, By Johnson Babalola

By Johnson Babalola @jbdlaw Hindsight, they say, is life’s most generous teacher—but it sends its lessons late. It is only after the storms that the patterns become clear; only after the wrong turns that the map begins to make sense. As I celebrate another birthday today and have grown older, I often find myself reflecting…

Gasoline Prices Drop Toward Pandemic-Era Lows

The national average price of gasoline dropped below $3 a gallon over the weekend. GasBuddy has predicted that prices will go even lower in the coming weeks, with good prospects of motorists enjoying sub-$3 prices for extended periods. This drop is overwhelmingly being driven by the significant increase in oil production from OPEC throughout 2025.…

Alleged Christian Genocide Claim is Damaging Nigeria’s Image– Tuggar Laments

By Abiola Olawale Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has voiced concern over what he described as the damaging impact of the "Christian genocide" narrative on Nigeria's international image. This is as the Minister claimed that the country's complex security challenges are being falsely simplified as religious persecution. Speaking at the Reuters NEXT Gulf Summit…

Ad

Reactions have started trailing moves by the  United Kingdom Parliament to open debate on petition against Nigeria over the recent #EndSARS protest which rocked Nigeria, especially Lekki in Lagos state.

The UK parliament  has said it would commence debate on Monday on a petition calling for global sanctions against the Nigerian Government including the Nigeria Police Force  based on allegations of  human rights breaches during the #EndSARS protests.

The British  parliament which announced this via  its website, said that the debate would be led by Theresa Villiers at the Westminster Hall between 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm.

In the debate pack entitled, “E-petition 554150, relating to Nigeria and the sanctions regime’”, the British parliament make references to alleged shootings of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020, as case study for debate.

It said, “Parliament will debate this petition on November 23, 2020. You will be able to watch online on the UK Parliament YouTube channel.

“On July 6, the British Government established the Global Human Rights sanctions regime by laying regulations in Parliament under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018.

“This sanctions regime will give the UK a powerful new tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. The sanctions regime is not intended to target individual countries. It will allow for sanctions to be imposed on individuals and entities involved in serious human rights violations or abuses around the world.”

However, this move has elicited mixed reactions among Nigerians. While some Nigerians believe that the move is in the right direction, others argue that the action amounts to over dramatization by old colonial powers who still want to lord it over its former colony in a modern world.

Centre for Accountability and Good Governance(CAGG) hailed the move as a welcome one as it would help put the police abuses in total check and control in Nigeria and in other international jurisdictions where such abuses are established.

Recall that the UK parliament in its website while justifying the debate had said, the sanctions regime is not intended to target individual countries but it would “allow  for sanctions to be imposed on individuals and entities involved in serious human rights violations or abuses around the world.”

However, some Nigerians sampled argue that the action is like a throw back to colonial era when the British ruled over Nigeria, stressing that it would be better the UK Parliament focus on strengthening and building the capacity and institutional capabilities of law enforcement institutions in Nigeria.

According to them reforming the police, strengthening its capacity and enhancing its institutional delivery capabilities are what Nigerians need at this point under a constitutional government because sanctions would allow hamper the poor unless they are specifically targeted at individual violators.

 

Ad

X whatsapp