Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has slammed the Federal Government for arraigning human rights activist and convener, #RevolutionNow protests, Omoyele Sowore, under the Terrorism Act.
It also condemned the court ruling remanding the former presidential candidate in custody for 45 days.
The National Publicity Secretary, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, said the order marked “a new phase in the orchestrated conscription of the democratic space in Nigeria.”
Insisting that the Terrorism Act cannot be superior to the Constitution which stipulated that a citizen cannot be detained for more than 48 hours before being charged to court, Afenifere in a statement on Thursday, stated that Sowore was arrested before he could commit a crime, noting that he was being held illegally using the legal process.
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The group said, “The order represents a new phase in the orchestrated conscription of the democratic space in Nigeria. Sowore was arrested before he could commit an offence and the DSS (Department of State Services) seems to want to go shopping for evidence to prosecute him.”
Odumakin advised the government to act in conformity with the democratic tenets in dealing with the rights of Nigerians, describing Sowore’s detention as a great injustice.
The Convener, Free Nigeria Movement, Raphael Adebayo, said Nigerians were appalled by the court order which he described as unjust.
He said the ruling was a testament to the entrenched injustice in the country which the #RevolutionNow protests intended to end.
The movement demanded Sowore’s immediate release, stating that his continued incarceration “will only hasten the revolution which has already begun in different parts of the country.”
Adebayo stated, “Any society where it is easier to persecute ordinary citizens than it is to prosecute a thieving elite is a society heading towards anarchy.
“By ordering the DSS to further detain Sowore, the court has made it clear that it is far from being an institution of justice in which the people can trust.” [PUNCH]
