#EndSARS: SERAP drags FG, Police to UN over detention of BudgIT’s Moses Motoni

Human right group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has sent an urgent appeal to four UN special rapporteurs drawing their attention to “the arbitrary arrest and detention of anti-corruption defender Moses Motoni, and urging them to use their “mandates to prevail on the Nigerian government and Nigeria police to immediately and unconditionally release him.”


The urgent appeal was sent to Mr. Seong-PhilHONG, Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; Mr. Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders; Mr. Nils MELZER, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; and Mr David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

In the urgent appeal dated 6 December 2017 and signed by SERAP deputy director Timothy Adewale the organization said: “We are seriously concerned that Mr Motoni is at risk of torture and other forms of ill-treatment in detention. We consider his arrest and detention to be arbitrary, in contravention of Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) and Nigeria’s international and regional human rights obligations including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Nigeria has ratified these human rights treaties.”