CHSR Condemns Attack on Women Protesters in Ilorin, Demands Immediate Government Action

 

The Centre for Human and Socio-economic Rights (CHSR) has strongly condemned what it described as a “barbaric and reprehensible” attack on peaceful women protesters at the Kwara State Government House in Ilorin, calling for urgent government intervention and accountability.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, CHSR said the women, who had gathered to protest the continued kidnapping of their relatives in Oke-Ode community, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, were violently assaulted by men allegedly armed with canes while security personnel reportedly failed to intervene.

According to the rights group, the protesters were mothers, wives and daughters seeking government attention over the prolonged captivity of their husbands and children by kidnappers. CHSR emphasized that the women were unarmed and peaceful, exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly.

“What transpired in Ilorin is a dark stain on our collective conscience as a nation,” the organization said, referencing widely circulated video footage that allegedly shows women being chased, flogged and brutalized as they screamed for help.

CHSR further alleged that some of the assailants emerged from within the vicinity of the Government House and accused security operatives present, particularly police officers, of turning a blind eye to the violence.

“The failure of security personnel to protect these women sends a dangerous signal of complicity and is completely unacceptable,” the statement read.

The organization noted that families affected by the kidnappings in Oke-Ode have received no clear communication or reassurance from government authorities regarding efforts to rescue their loved ones, leaving them with no option but to protest peacefully.

CHSR also highlighted an emotional video of one of the women appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nigerians for help, describing the situation in Oke-Ode as one where residents are “at the mercy of kidnappers.”

The rights group warned that Nigeria must not become a country where victims of insecurity are silenced with violence while criminal elements operate freely.

In response to the incident, CHSR made several demands, including an immediate investigation and prosecution of all individuals involved in the attack, public accountability from security agencies present at the scene, and urgent, coordinated rescue efforts to secure the release of all abducted persons from Oke-Ode community.

The organization also called for adequate protection and reassurance for residents of Oke-Ode and other vulnerable communities facing similar security challenges across the country.

“CHSR stands firmly with the women of Oke-Ode,” the statement concluded. “Their pain is legitimate, their protest is lawful, and their demand for security is non-negotiable