Coalition urges DSS to arrest activist over alleged threat to national security

The #TakeItBack Movement, yesterday, staged protests in Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country over worsening economic hardship, insecurity, inflation and what the organisers described as political repression under the President Bola Tinubu administration.

The protests, held under the banner of the “Festival of the Oppressed,” saw demonstrators in both cities calling for urgent government action on the issues affecting Nigerians.

In Lagos, protesters gathered in the Maryland area, where they sang and chanted slogans, including “Revolution”, before they were dispersed by security operatives.

Security operatives were also deployed around the protest venue, with tear gas used to disperse the demonstrators.

The movement is demanding, among other measures, the rescue of Nigerians held captive by bandits and kidnappers, implementation of a N500,000 national minimum wage, withdrawal of charges against activist Omoyele Sowore and urgent action to address reported xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.

In Abuja, Sowore joined young protesters at the demonstration, where participants carried placards with inscriptions including “Nigeria is bleeding”, “Rescue our people now”, “Free all political prisoners”, “No to xenophobia” and “Revolution is the answer”.

Addressing journalists, Sowore said the protest was intended to remind Nigerians of the need for what he described as an imminent revolution.

“Today, August 5, we have come to remind the whole country that the revolution is necessary and imminent. And that nothing can stop that revolution. When the people are ready, barbed wire will not stop us. The police will even join; the army will join.

“But we have several demands that we must reiterate here. And they include that Nigerian workers must be paid N500,000 per month as their minimum wage. We have also asked that they release Nnamdi Kanu from unjust and unlawful detention. That they discontinue all forms of trial, whether it’s cybercrime or treason trials against activists and Nigerians who are raising their voice against bad governance in this country.

“Most importantly, to announce that Tinubu’s tenure is over. Tinubu must go! We have our colleagues in Lagos, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, and different places who are also taking action today. This is just the beginning of a series of actions that will be taken. And we urge you, wherever you may be, to join us.”

Also, the Head of Legal Aid of the #TakeItBack Movement, Bolaji Oluwatosin, condemned the disruption of the demonstration by security operatives.

MEANWHILE, a coalition of civil society organisations has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest Sowore over what it described as an alleged threat to Nigeria’s national security.

The demand was made yesterday during a rally in Abuja organised by the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Good Governance in Nigeria.

Addressing supporters, the National Chairman of Nigeria Citizens Watch for Good Governance, Collins Eshiofeh, commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its Renewed Hope Agenda and praised the approval of a new national minimum wage, saying the government should be allowed to implement the policy without distractions.

The coalition also passed a vote of confidence in Tinubu and the Director-General of the DSS, Ajayi Oluwatosin, whom it credited with strengthening the country’s fight against terrorism, banditry and other security threats.

But the group urged the DSS to arrest Sowore, alleging that his activities posed a threat to national security. Eshiofeh claimed, without providing evidence, that the activist was linked to external interests seeking to destabilise the country.

He said: “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 Tinubu, there remains one man who continues to insult the intelligence of this nation.

“That man is 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. Reports have allegedly linked 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.”