Human Rights Lawyer Gives Reasons Why It Is Wrong For CBN To Block #EndSars Promoters Bank Accounts On The Premises Of Links To Terrorist Activities

Labule Thomas

A human rights lawyer, Jiti Ogunye has provided reasons why it wrong for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to have blocked the bank accounts of some #EndSars protest promoters on the strength of a court order based on allegations of links to terrorists activities.

In a report monitored on punchng.com by societynow,ng, Ogunye asserted that “It is ridiculous. The CBN has no statutory duty to profile anybody. The CBN is not a security agency or a law enforcement agency. The CBN is the banker to the Federal Government of Nigeria; it is also a regulatory agency in terms of ensuring compliance with fiscal policies. But it is not a body to designate or profile anybody as terrorists.

“What the CBN reportedly has done on this occasion is ridiculous and dangerous. This clampdown, violation of rights and profiling are unlawful and disconcerting. We live in a country that is talking now about rehabilitating known terrorists, who have taken up arms against the state, who are being rehabilitated or de-radicalised, but people who embarked on a protest are then tagged as terrorists; it is ridiculous.

“It is best for the government to calm down and engage in introspection. When you talk about incitement, if there is no fundamental lack, will it be possible for people to be incited? The more the CBN gets itself caught in the vortex of this very political action of the government, while it is supposed to maintain a degree of independence, the more people will treat it with derision and the CBN may suffer credibility crisis.”