Critics have accused the government of weaponising state institutions against dissenting voices while adopting a more conciliatory posture towards violent actors.
Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, human rights lawyer and Special Counsel to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has berated the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government over double standards.
Ejimakor noted that the Nigerian government has repeatedly detained human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, for exercising his rights to free speech, expression, and peaceful protest, while extending negotiations and concessions to known armed terrorists in the country.
Ejimakor made the remarks in a post on X on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, while reacting to the remand of Sowore in Kuje Correctional Centre on Monday, June 22, by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The lawyer contrasted what he described as the government's harsh treatment of critics with its approach to armed groups and insurgents terrorising the country.
