A FORMER presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has demanded the release of detained #EndBadGovernance and #EndSARS protesters in detention.
Sowore made the demand at the ongoing #FearlessInOctober protest in Lagos State.
He said the release of the detained protesters would determine his team’s next line of action after the first day of the protest. He gave the Nigerian government till 4 pm today, October 1, to release the detainees.
October 1st is a day set aside to celebrate Nigeria’s Independence Day.
However, many Nigerians are protesting what they have described as “the hardships, privations, hunger, unemployment, insecurity, and poverty” that the President Bola Tinubu administration has inflicted on the country.
In Lagos, protesters were seen passing through Allen Avenue towards the Lagos Secretariat in Ikeja, the state capital.
The ICIR crew also observed heavy security presence as protesters chanted “Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu (Lagos State Governor), Akpabio (Senate President) ole (thief).”
The ICIR reported that amid heightened tension and heavy deployment of security officers across Nigeria, Sowore reiterated his plans to be part of the nationwide protest on October 1.
In a statement via his X handle on Monday, September 30, Sowore, who has spent much of the past six years either in detention, prison or under house arrest on charges of treason, emphasised that protests are the only tool citizens have to voice their opposition to anti-people’s policies.
The protest, which he tagged #FearlessInOctober, is also aimed to draw the government’s attention to the violation of citizens’ fundamental human rights and advocate for good governance.
“As long as I have breath in my lungs and as long as my fists can be raised, I will continue to fight for the right of the Nigerian people to a decent life. I will continue to advocate for their rights to good governance, and I will continue to demand justice for all.
While noting that Nigerians would not relent until their demands were met, he urged citizens to join the October 1 protest across the country.
The ICIR reported how the police, alongside other security forces, tear-gassed and shot at armless protesters and journalists, particularly in Abuja and Kano during the #EndBadGovernance protest in August.
Currently, about 10 leaders and organisers are being arraigned at the Federal High Court In Abuja for alleged treason, inciting mutiny and intent to destabilise Nigeria.
Dozens of other protesters are also in prison who cannot meet their bail conditions.
A reporter with the ICIR
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