Our Reporter
There was pandemonium yesterday at the entrance of the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja.
Operatives of the service chased protesters who were demanding the release of #RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore.
The protesters, who were led by Deji Adeyanju, had gathered outside the DSS headquarters and marched towards the gate.
They sat down, chanted songs of solidarity and displayed placards with various inscriptions.
While Adeyanju was addressing reporters, operatives of the DSS, who had been standing by, ordered everyone to leave the place.
They threatened the gathering and eventually drove their trucks towards reporters, who ran for their safety.
Instantaneously, some of them started shooting into the air. Others sprayed tear gas canisters into the gathering.
The situation deteriorated into pandemonium as the operatives chased the gathering with their power bikes and trucks. Adeyanju had said the protest was meant to get Sowore from the DSS detention, following a court order that ordered his release.
The activist alleged that the protesters were bribed with N1 million at gunpoint to abandon Sowore’s freedom.
But he refused to name the source of the alleged bribe.
Brandishing the alleged bribe, which was in N500 notes, Adeyanju said the protesters would return it to its source, adding that they were not going to abandon the cause.
“We are here at the DSS headquarters. When we said we were going to come and stand in as physical surety for Sowore, many Nigerians said we liked to take risk. But true to our word, we came here on Saturday because they had by themselves told us the reason they did not release him was because there was nobody to receive him. They played all kinds of pranks with us. We made a promise that we would come here today, being the first working day of the week, and we would come and tell them to release our property and our friend and brother and fellow comrade. Since that day, we have received all kinds of threat.
“We will never compromise. They said we should not come out today. They made all kinds of promises to us at gunpoint. But we would not be deterred…”
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) yesterday condemned what it called “violent attacks on peaceful protesters demanding the release of Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare as ordered by the court”.
Read Also: UPDATED: Pandemonium as DSS disperses protesters demanding Sowore’s release
In a statement by its Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, it said: “We have seen a video footage apparently showing the use of lethal and excessive force by Nigerian security agents against peaceful protesters demanding the release of Sowore and Bakare, as ordered by the court. We condemn the ruthless violence and shocking abuses against protesters…
“The use of lethal and excessive force violates the very core of Nigeria’s constitution and international human rights obligations. This should end immediately, and those responsible should be held to account.
“Nigerian authorities should immediately obey all court orders and specifically the court order for the release of Sowore and Bakare from arbitrary detention.”
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