The Founder, Human Capital Africa, Dr Oby Ezekwesili has called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and his team to unconditionally release Omoyele Sowore and his colleague-protesters as well as publicly apologise to Ms Yemi Adamolekun and Ms Nafziger over their molestation following a peaceful protest to mark the fifth anniversary of the #EndSARS.
Ezekwesili made the demand in a memo on her twitter page, calling on Nigerians to collectively voice out on the shrinking civic space and erosion of citizens’ rights in Nigeria.
The memo copied to President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria Police Force, and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu emphasised that all rational Nigerians should collectively demand that the President who supervises the country should wade in.
‘A Memo to Nigerians: A Call to Collective Voice on the Shrinking Civic Space and Erosion of Citizens’ Rights in Nigeria All rational Nigerians should collectively demand that @NGRPresident who supervises the @PoliceNG immediately directs the IGP and his team to unconditionally release Mr Sowore and his colleague-protesters’, it reads
The memo emphasised that Governor Babajide Sanwoolu should publicly apologise to Ms Adamolekun and Ms Nafziger, pointing out that latest wave of actions against citizens by state security agencies reflects a deeply troubling trend.
‘The latest wave of actions against citizens by state security agencies reflects a deeply troubling trend – the steady shrinking of the civic space and the erosion of citizens’ fundamental rights in our democracy’ she wrote.
‘It is disheartening that Nigerians who seek to peacefully express their views, commemorate national tragedies, or demand justice are now being treated as threats to the State rather than as citizens exercising constitutionally guaranteed freedoms
‘Three Disturbing Cases: 1. @EiENigeria. Yemi Adamolekun’s Harassment for Peaceful Memorial On the fifth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests- a moment meant for sober reflection and remembrance – Yemi Adamolekun, a respected civic leader, was publicly harassed and assaulted by police officers simply for laying flowers in honour of victims of police brutality’.
‘This act of intimidation dishonours the memory of those who lost their lives and portrays the imperviousness of the government to the public demand for reform of the @PoliceNG
‘Police Actions Against Protesters on Nnamdi Kanu Matter: Peaceful protesters led by @YeleSowore were tear-gassed, brutalized, and arrested even after getting a court clearance for their protest’.
‘The right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of democracy. Any suppression corrodes trust in state institutions and deepens alienation among citizens. The Arrest and Rearrest of Omoyele Sowore : The repeated arrests of activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore even after being granted bail by a competent court are indicative of executive overreach and disdain for judicial authority’.
‘When court orders are ignored, and dissenters are repeatedly detained, the rule of law itself is in jeopardy. Together, these 3 incidents reflect an unmistakable dangerous pattern. It is clear that @officialABAT is running a @NigeriaGov and security apparatus that are increasingly intolerant of dissent, allergic to accountability, and fearful of citizens’ voices. Nigeria’s democracy cannot survive on the silencing of conscience’.
‘Every act of repression against one citizen diminishes the liberty of all. True strength of a government does not lie in its ability to suppress criticism, but in its capacity to protect the rights of those who speak truth to power’.
‘It is time for all Nigerians, regardless of ethnicity, faith, or political leaning to rise and defend the #OfficeOfTheCitizen, the highest office in our democracy. We must collectively safeguard our right to speak, to assemble, and to demand accountability’.
‘We must collectively send a strong signal to the politicians in government that our freedoms can never be extinguished. The 1999 Constitution -as defective as it is- entrusts sovereignty not to government officials, but to the people of Nigeria’.
‘Let us therefore always act together, peacefully but resolutely, to reclaim the moral and constitutional space that belongs to us as Citizens. Our Democracy belongs to the Citizens of Nigeria and not to these few operators of the country’s corrupted politics’.
‘Nigeria’s democracy must not become a democracy without citizens. Each of us should by now say: “Not under my watch…. Not under our collective watch”. “Never!”, Ezekwesili emphasised.
