While acknowledging Maduro’s record of repression, killings, and persistent human rights violations, Adeyanju maintained that due process and respect for international law must apply universally.
Nigerian human rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has condemned what he described as the hypocrisy of some Nigerians who are now denouncing the alleged extraordinary rendition of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States, despite previously praising similar unlawful actions carried out by Nigerian authorities.
Adeyanju, in a statement, said the reported invasion of Venezuela and the extraordinary rendition or abduction of Maduro as ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump amounts to a clear violation of international law and the principle of national sovereignty, regardless of the justification offered by the American government.
According to him, while Maduro is widely regarded as a brutal and illegitimate dictator who has presided over widespread human rights abuses and allegedly stolen elections, his forced abduction remains unlawful and indefensible.
“Impunity is bad whether it is done by Nigeria or America and must not be justified,” Adeyanju said, stressing that illegality does not become acceptable simply because the target is unpopular or accused of serious crimes.
The activist noted that the same voices now condemning the United States had earlier applauded the extraordinary rendition of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, from Kenya to Nigeria, an action that has been widely criticised by legal experts and international rights groups as illegal.
He also accused them of supporting the unconstitutional removal of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, describing it as part of a dangerous culture of selective outrage and moral inconsistency.
“I have, however, noted the observations of some Nigerian hypocrites who praised the extraordinary rendition of Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya and also the unconstitutional removal of Governor Sim Fubara but now condemning the American action,” Adeyanju stated.
While acknowledging Maduro’s record of repression, killings, and persistent human rights violations, Adeyanju maintained that due process and respect for international law must apply universally.
“Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator who killed many of his countrymen and women for power and continued to violate their human rights till yesterday but he ought not to have been abducted that way. He also stole an election like many Nigerian leaders,” he said.
Adeyanju warned that justifying unlawful actions based on political convenience or personal bias only entrenches global lawlessness and undermines the struggle for justice and accountability.