Security agents yesterday barricaded
civil society groups and activists, who gathered at the Unity Fountain, Abuja,
to demand the release of former Presidential candidate of African Action
Congress (AAC) and convener of #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore.
The Unity Fountain had looked
like a war front, with heavy presence of soldiers, Police, operatives of the
Department of Security Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps
(NSCDC) and Nigerian Prison Service officials, who besieged the scene of the
protest.
Sowore, who is also the publisher of
SaharaReporters was arrested by the DSS two weeks ago after he vowed to
mobilise Nigerians to the streets for the #RevolutionNow protest.
The federal government determined to
check Sowore, used the DSS to secure a Federal High Court ex-parte order to
detain him for 45 days.
Despite the barrage of security
operatives at the Abuja Unity Fountain, activists still demonstrated,
demanding the immediate release of Sowore and other, “prisoners of conscience.”
The protesters, led by Deji
Adeyanju, convener of Concerned Nigerians ( CN), said that President Muhammadu
Buhari's administration has continued to imprison Nigerians, who dared to
criticise his maladministration and has no deference for divergent opinion.
Adeyanju, who vowed that the
proponents of #FreeSowore protest would never be cowed by federal government's battalion
of security agents, also stated that Buhari pretended that he was a
repentant democrat, just because he wanted to steal the confidence and
votes of Nigerians.
He said that both Sowore, Dadi Yata,
Jones Abiri, Steven Kefas and other social and media critics, who have been
held by this present administration were prisoners of conscience, representing
Nigerians.
Adeyanju said: “Even if Buhari
withdraws all the security agents deployed to fight insurgency at
Northeast and other parts of the country, to stop the #FreeSowore activists,
the protest will not stop.”
Another activist, Raphael Adebayo,
said that even if Buhari should arrest many more people like Sowore, one
million more will arise to fight his dictatorial policies.
Adebayo added: “The protest is not
just for the freedom of Sowore and other prisoners of conscience, but for
the soul of Nigeria, which the present government wants to stampede at all
cost.”
The Deputy President of Middle Belt
Forum, Ndi Kato, said that the protest would be sustained until the government
learns to respect the will of the people.
Kato noted that Nigerians, having
survived the era of military dictatorship in the past, must not
allow anybody in any disguise to derail the fledgling democracy that was fought
and won on the blood of patriotic countrymen.
He added: “ It is high time that we
set ourselves free from the shackles of military dictatorship. We cannot have
20 years of military dictatorship and still allow the shackles to remain with
us.”
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