By Dayo Omoogun Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has decried the growing impunity and repression of political opponents across the country by the Federal and State governments as well as powerful individuals . He was reacting to the incidents of detention without trial and disappearance of social media activists who are critical of Governors. Noting that detention without trial violates the fundamental human rights of citizens, he lamented that the current level of political intolerance and abuse of power against critics is unhealthy for our democracy and our international image. “Power is public trust and leaders should not therefore use their own positions to repress and oppress those who disagree with them or their policies” adding “it is wrong to use their powers to oppress the very citizens that elected them.” He therefore appealed to Federal and State Governments across the country to set in motion the process of releasing persons currently being held in detention for holding contrary viewpoints in order to reduce the tension in the country.