Years after a peaceful protest was violently disrupted, a Lagos lawyer insists that Nigeria must strengthen protections for citizens’ rights.

Nigeria’s democracy has continued to face recurring tests—none more telling than the frequent confrontations between civic activists and security agents. 
A Lagos-based lawyer and prominent human rights advocate, Kehinde Idowu knows this reality all too well, having endured arrests, assaults, and intimidation during peaceful activism.
The Ikeja-based Principal Partner built his career on defending the less privileged, challenging unlawful detentions, and fighting abuses of power. Motivated by the example of the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, he joined the National Conscience Party in 2002 and became an active member of the Nigerian Bar Association the following year. His political engagement included contesting for the Lagos State House of Assembly.
His advocacy gained further structure with the co-founding of the Human Rights Defenders and Advocacy Center—now the Human Rights Defenders and Access to Justice Advocacy Center (HRDAC)—in 2012. The organization tackles human rights violations, corruption, and systemic abuses while providing legal support to vulnerable groups. 
His leadership in these efforts often put him at odds with law enforcement agencies.
In 2018, he was arrested during a peaceful sit-in protest demanding the release of an unlawfully detained HRDAC member. The incident, later brought to the attention of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, highlighted longstanding issues surrounding the treatment of activists.
Then came the January 31, 2019 protest, titled “END THE CORRUPTION NOW!!” HRDAC members and citizens gathered for a peaceful procession from Ikeja toward Allen Avenue. Though police authorities were informed, they refused to provide security.
Before long, the protest was confronted by armed operatives who used tear gas, batons, and gunfire into the air to disperse the crowd. In the ensuing chaos, he attempted to calm participants. Instead, he was identified as the leader, assaulted, and arrested along with two others.
The incident, he says, remains a sharp reflection of the fragility of civic freedoms in Nigeria.
 “If peaceful protest becomes a crime, then democracy itself is endangered,” he warns.
While several years have passed since that day, the issues remain unresolved. Growing public concern about police conduct, rising tensions around citizens’ rights to assemble, and recurring allegations of corruption all point to a democratic system in need of deeper safeguards.
For him, the struggle is far from over.
 “Nigeria must choose whether it wants a democracy in name or in practice. The people must be free to speak, to assemble, and to demand accountability,”
he added.