Analysis of the Right to Protest and Freedom of Assembly in Selected African Countries with a Focus on Nigeria

The derivative rights of citizens to protest and join fellow citizens in peaceful assembly are critical to a functioning democracy. However, the violation of this right by the institutional authority in-charge of its implementation is becoming worrisome. This study seeks to address the violation of fundamental human rights to peaceful assembly vis-à-vis the civil liberty to protest. Notable peaceful protest demonstrations in developed countries, Nigeria and other African countries were examined. Special attention was given to how the protests were conducted and the reaction of governments of these various nations to the demonstrations. The desk-based, doctrinal and qualitative methods which are analytical and expository in nature were adopted as the means of sourcing information. It was found among others, that government agencies are not the only ones guilty of this violation, but government directly and indirectly suppresses this right. To this end, the study recommends among others that beyond modeling after developed democracies, the African countries, specifically the Nigerian government should ensure the implementation of existing legal framework on the subject matter. Furthermore, the police officers should only take an observatory posture during protests and assemblies unless there is apparent reason to act in the interest of the public order.