A coalition of civil society organisations has asked the Department of State Services to arrest activist Omoyele Sowore over an alleged threat to national security.
The call was made on Wednesday during a rally in Abuja organised by the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Good Governance in Nigeria.
The group’s National Chairman of Nigeria Citizens Watch for Good Governance, Collins Eshiofeh, spoke at the rally. He praised President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the new national minimum wage of ₦70,000. He said the government should be allowed to implement its policies without distraction.
What The Coalition Is Demanding
The coalition passed a vote of confidence in President Tinubu and the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi. It credited Ajayi with improving the fight against terrorism and banditry.
However, it asked the DSS to arrest Sowore, claiming his activities threaten peace.
Eshiofeh offered no evidence for the claim that Sowore has links to external interests trying to destabilise Nigeria. Omoyele Sowore is a former presidential candidate, publisher of Sahara Reporters and a well-known pro-democracy activist.
“Even the most vigilant government must be reminded of a festering wound that requires urgent surgical attention. While the DSS has neutralised many threats to our national security, under the superb leadership of President Tinubu, there remains one man who continues to insult the intelligence of this nation,” he said.
“That man is Mr. Omoyele Sowore. He parades himself as an activist, but we know the truth, he is a merchant of chaos, a purveyor of anarchy, and a threat to our collective peace,” he added.
He continued, “Reports have allegedly link him to external machineries whose only agenda is to set our country ablaze and reduce Nigeria to a failed state. He calls for revolution, not because he loves Nigeria, but because he is being sponsored to destabilise the very fabric of our governance.”
“The only thing this administration has not done is to arrest and prosecute Mr. Omoyele Sowore. We are here today to demand that this be done without further delay,” he said.
He added, “We say no to criminality in the name of activism. We say unite against terror. We say no to subversive elements. We say no to permissive terrorism.”
Context Of Protest and Rights
The coalition asked security agencies to act in line with the rule of law and protect citizens’ rights.
The demand comes amid regular protests led by Sowore on governance, economic hardship and human rights. Under the 1999 Constitution, citizens have rights to free expression and peaceful assembly. Any arrest is therefore expected to follow due process.
As of press time, the DSS has not responded to the coalition’s demand, as reported by another online media, The Cable.
