Protesting against energy costs and attacks on democratic rights in Nigeria, photo by Socialist Party of Nigeria

Protesting against energy costs and attacks on democratic rights in Nigeria, photo by Socialist Party of Nigeria   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

On 10 September, Nigerian police arrested members of the Socialist Party of Nigeria and journalists.

The arrested SPN members were on a peaceful protest in Lagos to demand immediate reversal of the hike in electricity tariffs and fuel prices by the Buhari/APC government, and for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to respect the judgement of the Appeal Court by relisting SPN and other political parties.

The arrested included SPN National Secretary, Chinedu Bosah, National Youth Leader of the party, Hassan Taiwo Soweto, SPN National Executive member, Dagga Tolar, and about 15 others, including four journalists with Galaxy TV, Sahara reporters, Premium Times and Objectv media.

Cameras and phones of the journalists were seized and destroyed while all arrested were physically brutalised.

However, an inter-national solidarity campaign initiated by the Committee for a Workers’ International, along with pressure from Nigerian labour movement activists, secured the release of the detainees. Also, all charges against them were dropped.