By Elizabeth Adegbesan, LAGOS

Action  Group on Free Civic Space, AGFCS, has called for the collaboration of the government and chief security officers, CSOs, in the country, to save the shrinking civic space in societies.

According to the group, the civic space is deteriorating due to the use and misuse of security architecture to narrow the online and offline spaces for civic engagement and democratic participation in the country.

The group disclosed this in a Webinar, yesterday, at the launch of its third research report, titled: “Nigeria: Shrinking Civic Space in the Name of Security.” Coordinator, National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Lagos State, and member of the EndSARS panel, Lucas Koyejo, said: “Fixing the country can be achievable through the government and Chief Security Officers.”

According to the founder/Director of research and policy at Spaces for Change, Mrs Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, “the research report, is the third and final part of the Security Playbook Series conducted by 11 members of AGFCS. It aims to interrogate the use and misuse of the security architecture to narrow the online and offline spaces for civic engagement and democratic participation in Nigeria.”

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She said: “This third report examines the exploitation of the festering security challenges in Nigeria to undermine the ability of citizens to speak, associate and organize freely, to mobilise for citizen action and to participate in governance processes.”

The report, highlighting the categories of security-based restrictions on the civic space stated: “Restrictions on the civic space are categorized according to the rights violated or the strategy used to impose the restrictions. The categories include violations of the right to free speech, freedom of association and assembly.

“The database revealed the persistent and varying approaches employed by state actors to restrict the Nigerian civic space using forced disappearances, unlawful arrests and detention, unlawful killings, violation of court orders among others.

“Civic society organizations can also explore partnerships with progressive lawmakers in the state and federal legislatures to canvass political support against repressive laws and legislative proposals.”

Vanguard News Nigeria