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#RevolutionNow: Anxiety grips Nigerians over creeping tyranny

#RevolutionNow: Anxiety grips Nigerians over creeping tyranny

On Monday, August 5,  the Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria and their partners under the #RevolutionNow, made good their threat and staged protests in some states of  the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja  against what they called “oppression and bad governance” under President Muhammadu Buhari.

The protesters were visited with heavy security clampdown and multiple arrests, which raises fear that the Buhari government, which was a beneficiary of protests when he was in opposition, may be descending into tyranny against Nigerians because they decided to express their democratic rights.

The protests were preceded by a controversial arrest of one of the key proponents of the #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore, who was picked up on Saturday, August 3 in his Lagos residence by the Department of State Security (DSS), on alleged charges of “threat to peace, public safety and social harmony.”

Sowore had participated in the last general election as the Presidential candidate of the Africa Action Congress (AAC). A court in Abuja on Thursday, August 8, had also granted the DSS 45 days order to detain Sowore.

Public Relations Officer of the Service, Peter Afunanya, told reporters on Sunday, August 4, that  Sowore’s planned action constituted serious threats, which include “threats of sabotage, threats of subversion, threats of terrorism and of course, threats of espionage and all others including ethnic agitations, economic sabotage and all of that.”

The DSS went ahead to warn the protesters to abandon the idea or face serious backlash from government.

On Saturday, August 3, 2019, two days to the planned protest, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, had warned that the ‘revolution’ march was tantamount to treasonable felony and acts of terrorism and vowed to disrupt the protests.

“The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a video circulating on the social media by the ‘Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria and others’, inciting Nigerians, home and abroad, to join a planned ‘revolution’ march against the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Monday, 5th August, 2019 with the sole aim of forcing a regime change in the country.

“The Force wishes to state unequivocally that the call amounts to treasonable felony and acts of terrorism and will therefore not stand idly by and watch any individual or group in the social cause anarchy in the land.

“While acknowledging the rights of Nigerians to embark on protest, the Force wishes to note that such rights should not translate to a violent and forceful change of government which clearly is the meaning of ‘revolution’ the IGP said in a statement.

The security agencies appear to be uncomfortable with the appellation of ‘revolution’ which was the operating word of the protesters and have interpreted it as an attempt to violently change the current democratic structure and cause mayhem and chaos in the country.

But the Third Force Movement of Nigeria under the umbrella of Nigeria Intervention Movement, (NIM) countered the government’s position, saying the protest is purely against bad political system and mis-governance even as they condemned the arrest of Sowore and demanded his immediate release.

NIM in a statement issued on Saturday by its Publicity Secretary Olusegun Obe noted that the historic nationwide ‘Revolutionary Action’ initiated by Nigerian masses is purely aimed at overthrowing the corrupt and warped political system being operated by the country as well as changing the oppressive ruling class in Nigeria.

NIM stated strongly that peaceful protest or public demonstration against State or government policies is a Constitutional right of every citizen of Nigeria and so, it is illegal to criminalise or victimise any Citizen of Nigeria for openly expressing contrary stand against government’s policies and programme as done by the Nigerian Presidency against the Monday mass protests of the Nigerian peoples.

Despite the threats of clampdown by the security agencies, the protesters defied heavy police presence to stage protests despite early morning downpour in Abuja, the nation’s capital on Monday, August 5.

The nation was enveloped by palpable tension over possible clashes between security forces as the protesters marched in some parts of the country chanting anti-government slogans with the main theme of the protesters being the demand for the release of Omoyele Sowore.

In Abuja, the nation’s capital, the protesters converged on the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) office chanting anti-government songs and calling for a ‘revolution’ in Nigeria to register their displeasure with the state of the nation.

Adebayo Raphael, who was one of the leaders of the group, while speaking, said that the country was in danger even as he urged all Nigerians to be part of the revolutionary process. He added that there must be freedom for people to voice their opinions and let the government know when things are not going well for them.

“We are here solely for #RevolutionNow protest, we have decided to begin the process. We know very well that this process will begin a revolutionary process in Nigeria that will liberate every suffering people in this country.

“Today marks the beginning of a series of demonstrations of civil resistance against oppression and bad governance in this country. We are here at the human rights commission and our purpose here is to awake a sleeping public institution, that Nigeria is a gun powder waiting to explode.

He condemned the clampdown on dissenting voices stressing that it is a violation of fundamental human rights of the people. He also condemned the arrest of Sowore, adding that it would only worsen the situation. Not much of security clampdown on protesters was recorded in Abuja.

But in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, the Army, Navy, Air force, Police, mobilised their men to the National Stadium in Surulere to disrupt the protests

According to reports, clashes soon ensued between the protesters and the security as some protesters reportedly sustained injuries as they were tear gassed. Many were also arrested.

A protester told AFP that officers made several arrests and fired live ammunition to disperse the crowd, wounding at least two people.

“Police officers and soldiers were shooting indiscriminately, we have at least two people I saw who were shot in the leg,” Femi Adeyeye, an activist at the demonstration ground said.

The #RevolutionNow protest turned violent in Osun State following the alleged police brutalisation of a 70-year-old woman as well as the alleged harassment of some journalists who had gone to cover the protest.

The security operatives had stopped the protesters from embarking on procession across the streets of the state capital, Oshogbo, restricting them to the correspondents’ chapel, where the protesters earlier addressed journalists.

Meanwhile, some of the protesters were equally, allegedly stopped by a team of security operatives including the DSS and the police, from heading back home after the protest.

In Ondo State on Monday, the police aborted the RevolutionNow protest which took place in Ore city, Odigbo council area of the state. Armed security chased away the protesters who had gathered on the road away.

One of the coordinators of Coalition for Revolution (Core) in the state Abiodun Oyekan described the action of the policemen as ‘barbaric.’

Oyekan told newsmen that “We condemned the action of the police to disperse law abiding citizens who are agitating for an egalitarian society in Ore today.

“They have shown force against us but nothing shall discourage us in agitating for freedom and we use this medium to also call for release of the journalist who was arrested by the police in Ore.

“We have all gathered to raise our voice for a free, quality and compulsory education at all levels. We also want a democratic end to the issues of insecurity in the country and asked the government to pay the minimum wage while also placing all politicians on minimum wage,” he said.

In Cross River State, reports have it that the Cross River State correspondent of the Nation newspapers, Nicholas Kalu, was on Monday, arrested at the Cultural centre, Calabar venue of the #RevolutionNow protest in the state. He was later released.

In Rivers State, however, the #RevolutionNow protest was aborted with the help of Governor Nyesom Wike, who had warned against the protests in state and ordered security operatives to ensure his order was carried out.

About 10 vans with security agencies made up of Police, Department of Security Service, DSS and the Civil Defence had condoned off Isaac Boro Park, one of the take-off points for the protests.

At about 11am, there were no protesters in sight as the entrance gates to the Isaac Park were securely locked.

Anxiety mounts 

Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, condemned the arrest of Sowore and the repression visited on the protesters, saying it is reminiscent of the brutal years of former dictator, General Sani Abacha.

Soyinka, in a strongly-worded statement, also berated the Inspector General of Police for propagating a false narrative that the use of the word “revolution” implies violence.

Wole Soyinka said that deployment of alarmist expressions such as “treason”, “anarchist”, “public incitement” etc. by Security forces have become so predictable and banal that they have become meaningless. “Beyond the word ‘revolution, another much misused and misunderstood the word, nothing that Sowore has uttered, written, or advocated suggests that he is embarking on, or urging the public to engage in a forceful overthrow of the government.

“Nothing that he said to me in private engagement ever remotely approached an intent to destabilise governance or bypass the normal democratic means of changing a government. I, therefore, find the reasons given by the Inspector-General, for the arrest and detention of this young ex-presidential candidate contrived and untenable, unsupported by any shred of evidence. His arrest is a travesty and violation of the fundamental rights of citizens to congregate and make public their concerns,” Soyinka said.

He said that the ready recourse to arrests, incarceration and threats to civilians are ultimately counter-productive. “They alienate the citizens, erode their confidence in governance responsiveness, and thereby advance the very extremist nightmare that security agencies believe they are acting to thwart.

“If we cannot learn from the histories and experiences of other societies, let us at least learn from ours. Freedom is not so glibly qualified. It cannot be doled out like slops of charity from soup kitchens. Let the Police stick to their task of protecting and managing protests, not attempt to place their meaning and declaration of intent on bogey words like – revolution!” he said.

The Nigeria Labour Congress NLC also condemned the police and other security agencies in the country for the attack and arrests of protesters during Monday’s RevolutionNow march in various parts of the nation.

In a statement on Wednesday by its General Secretary, Peter Ozo-Eson, the NLC said that there was nowhere in the Nigerian constitution where security agencies were empowered to attack protesters.

The statement read, “It is with deep consternation that we view the attacks and arrests of peaceful protesters in some parts of the country by security agencies and military personnel on Monday during a protest by some Nigerians in Lagos, Osogbo, Ibadan, Abuja and other cities.

“There is nowhere in our constitution or laws that the security agencies are empowered to so brazenly attack peaceful protests and hound its organisers into detention as the right to peaceful protests, assembly and association is fully guaranteed by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under sections 39 and 40.

“We view the violent attack on the peaceful protesters by security forces as a total violation of the fundamental rights of not just the protesters but all Nigerian citizens as guaranteed by the constitution as well as various reported judgments of our courts.

“Besides, peaceful protests against bad governance or perceived anti-people government policies, is one of the critical fundamental rights that expands the entrenchment and growth of democracy and our security agencies must not be allowed to continue to portray themselves as anti-democracy forces as the Monday attacks so clearly demonstrated.

“It is much more worrisome that soldiers were deployed to attack protesters especially in Lagos.

“To us, soldiers have no role whatsoever in the management of civil protest and they must be called to order by the Federal Government.

“We also view the midnight arrest of one of the organisers of the protest, Omoyele Sowore, as an affront on his fundamental rights as well as our collective rights to freedom of expression and association as enshrined in all the international and national instruments that strengthen democracy.

“His continued detention by the State Security Service lacks any justification as his actions were neither a threat to the sovereignty of Nigeria nor the democratically constituted government of Nigeria.

“We therefore, demand his immediate release unconditionally, including all others arrested during the protest.”

Despite the clampdown on protesters, the organisers are not giving up. A civil Society activist, Deji Adeyanju, expressed satisfaction that Nigerians had the courage to come out against bad leadership in the country; and called for the continuation of the protests. He however, expressed disappointment at the repressive attitude of the Nigerian state against peaceful protest in a democracy.

In a related development, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, described police brutality as an “affront to decency,” while praising the courage of Sowore as the “highest form of bravery”. The IPOB members had been tagged ‘terrorist’ organization by the Buhari administration and proscribed after they staged multiple protests demanding the independent state of Biafra from the Nigerian state.

Nigerians may have developed the culture of protests against government policies and the state of the nation in general. As clear as the matter is spelt out in the constitution over freedom of protests and peaceful assembly, the Buhari government appears averse to protests.

All over the world people have used peaceful protests to demand government to change unfavorable policies and conditions or even used protests to change government.  In Nigeria, the economy has deteriorated in the last four years. The GDP growth rate is at less than 2percent for a country with a population of annual growth rate of 3.4percent. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s inflation stands at unfavourable double digit of 11.22percent, while unemployment has increased as over 20 million people are said to have lost their jobs in the last 4 years.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), about 98 million Nigerians are living below poverty line making the country the poverty capital of the world and according to the World Poverty Clock, 6 Nigerians are plunged into poverty every minute. Capital inflow and Foreign Direct Investment have reduced by 50percent in the last four years in Nigeria. But perhaps the interminable insecurity in the country marked by kidnapping, armed robbery and the most devastating of them all the Boko Haram insurgency and the herdsmen killings took the biggest chunk of the people’s angst as the situation has become unbearable for Nigerians and hence the protests.

Protests have happened recently in Sudan where persistent protests by organised civil society and the citizens, despite police brutality, changed the 30-year-old regime of President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir. The country is still in transition as protesters continue to demand for proper democratic governance.

The Arab Spring protests that toppled age-long regimes in North Africa and Middle East were other examples that caused political changes in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, and Yemen.

The Nigerian government under Buhari has been rocked intensely by protests recently. It was besieged by protests of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise called Shiites over the detention of their leader Ibrahim El-Zak Zaky.  Before then it was the Bring Back Our Girls Protests for the release of Chibok school girls still under Boko Haram captivity. The BBOG group has been hounded and deprived of their usual venue, the Unity Fountain. Then the latest #RevolutionNow protest hit the government.

Although the government secured a court order to proscribe the IMN, tagging it ‘terrorist’ group, its consistent use of force to clampdown on protesters is bringing some embarrassing moments to the Buhari government before the human rights community.

The government may also have acted strategically by releasing the Shiite leader to seek medication abroad to reduce tension, but arresting Sowore has attarcted serious criticism to the government of Buhari.

According to a source, “There are palpable fears that the Buhari government has become paranoid about the reactions of citizens over the poor economy and the worsening insecurity and social disharmony in the land. Protests serve to warn the government about perhaps of bigger crisis ahead but its attempt to use repression may worsen the matter for the Buhari government .Things could  be dicey in the coming days, especially if Nigerians continue to face bleak economic future and spiraling insecurity.”

An analyst, who spoke with BDSUNDAY accused Sowore of crossing the red line by playing with ther word ‘revolution.” The observer also said that Sowore was merely reaping the fruit he had sown in 2015.

“While we condemn the intolerant disposition of President Buhari, we must not forget the principle of sowing and reaping. Sowore worked for the enthronement of Buhari in 2015 against the then president Goodluck Jonathan. He reaped hugely by so doing. We know that those who ride at the back of a tiger end up in its belly. That is what is happening to him. He sowed the wind and he is now reaping the whirlwind. It is what some people call the law of karma,” the analyst said.

 

By our correspondent