As President Bola Tinubu commenced his high-profile diplomatic engagements in the United Kingdom, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged King Charles III to leverage the President’s visit to highlight what it described as persistent human rights violations and a rapidly shrinking civic space in Nigeria.
In a petition signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the petition argues that the state visit represents a unique opportunity to place the rule of law and accountability at the center of the Nigeria-UK bilateral relationship.
SERAP expressed deep concern over the federal government’s use of the Cybercrimes Act and criminal defamation laws to silence journalists, activists, and critics.
The organization specifically pointed to the recent detentions of media professionals and the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Northern Nigeria as evidence of a systemic disregard for the values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter.
By appealing to the King’s moral authority, SERAP is seeking to turn a ceremonial milestone into a catalyst for genuine human rights reform in West Africa’s largest democracy.
