The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has joined the Nigerian civil rights community in condemning the arrest and detention of Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore by the Nigeria police on New Year eve.

CNG in a statement signed by its CNG Spokesperson, Comrade Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said it “views the arrest of Sowore along with four of his friends during a candlelight procession to usher in the New Year in Abuja as another sign of brutal encroachments on people’s fundamental rights that is becoming the hallmark of this administration.

“We remind government and its agencies that the universal right to move freely means that a person cannot be arbitrarily forced to remain in, or move to or from, a particular place.

“The right includes freedom from physical and procedural barriers, like requiring permission before entering a public park or participating in a public demonstration in a public place.

“Based on the above premise, we view Sowore’s arrest for participating in a religious rite indiscriminate, unwarranted, uncalled for and downright unacceptable and a dangerous tendency towards totalitarian oppression and suppression of people’s rights”, the CNG stated.