The Federal government is still in the game of hunting down frontlines of the #EndSARS protests staged for over two weeks in October and later disrupted by thugs and hoodlums sponsored by the government. Weeks after the seizure of Moe Odele’s passport by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, another group of protesters, the Feminist Coalition, is being clamped down.
What Happened?
The website page of Feminist Coalition, a community of young feminists with a mission to champion equality for women in Nigeria is inaccessible via local internet service providers. The group used its platform to mobilize funds for protesters during the nationwide protests against police brutality.
The FemCo website is currently inaccessible in Nigeria except through a VPN.
All the writings on the wall are clear so it is important that everyone is aware of the tactics.— Moe (@Mochievous) November 26, 2020
Can’t view the @feminist_co website on 9Mobile. I guess we are fully back in the era of censorship.
— Editi Effiòng (@EditiEffiong) November 26, 2020
Why does this matter?
Hunting down protesters, freezing accounts, illegally detaining and shooting protesters, and now using local network providers to disrupt activities of well-meaning citizens are features of a military regime. It also stands in line with the human rights violations that have become commonplace under the Buhari administration. In the context of this, it’s important that the government continues to be held to account.