Human Rights activist and pro-democracy campaigner, Omoyele Sowore, has threatened another mass protest if some youths arrested for wearing ‘Buhari Must Go’ T-shirts to a Sunday Service at Dunamis Gospel Church Headquarters in Lugbe, last Sunday are not released within seven days.
Those arrested and detained at that Church on Sunday are Emmanuel Larry, Henry Nwodo, Samuel Gabriel, Ben Manasseh and Anene Udoka.
Sowore, at a press conference organised in Abuja on Friday by a group called “Take it back Movement”, also alleged that the General Overseer and Senior Pastor of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Pastor Paul Enenche, collaborated with the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest the persons.
According to him, “the Church has allowed itself to be used by the Muhammadu Buhari administration which he described as despotic.
“The Church should be a refuge for the oppressed and not a collaborator with oppressors” We are urging the Church since it handed over the five persons to the DSS to tell them to release the detainees” He stated.
Earlier, the press conference which was presided over by Damilare Adenola, of the “Take it back Movement”, made it clear that as part of the commitment to fight against injustice, the group the regime for its acts of heinous violation of the rights of Nigerian citizens ”
The group stated:
“As part of our commitment to the fight against injustice as a group, we use this opportunity to also condemn the regime for its acts of heinous violations of the rights of Nigerian citizens who are agitating for the respect for people’s rights to life, dignity and self-determination rights, such as the case of Nnamdi Kanu who was tortured and unlawfully repatriated from Kenya, Sheikh El-zakyzaky whose arbitrary detention has spanned over 2000 days, Oduduwa republic agitators whose house was invaded and resulted in the extra-judicial killing of 2 and continued illegal detention of 13 person and #EndSars activists wallowing in illegal detention.
“It should be noted that human rights are sacred under the law and they remain guaranteed and protected. We therefore call for the immediate and unconditional releases of all these individua and those not mentioned but are facing unjust punishment. To reiterate, if these releases however are not done in the next seven days, a mass Nationwide protest would be called to compel the regime to heed the voice of justice.” It stressed.
The group announced that it had filed a court process for the enforcement of the fundamental human rights of the detained persons.
The Suit, according to Adenola, joined the DSS, DSS Director General, and Pastor Enenche.
The group described the arrest and continued detention of the five persons as completely illegal and crude.
“For the records, it is important to state that since the unfortunate event, the detained young people have been denied access to their lawyer and close family members even though they have not committed any offence known to the laws of Nigeria”
On the illegality of the arrest and detention, the group said:
“You would agree with us that the arrest and continued detention of these courageous young people have no basis in law and are a contravention of their fundamental human rights to freedom of expression, assembly and freedom movement as guaranteed undek sections 39, 40, 41 respectively in the Nigerian constitution and other international conventions and treaties to which Nigeria is a party to”
When reminded that a bill is being processed in the national assembly that may outlaw protests, the group said no such law could be passed because it would contradict the provisions of the Constitution.
“Nobody can criminalise protest because the constitution allowed it. I can tell you that any such law will be null and void because of of its contradiction to the Constitution.
“Protest is a democratic right across the World and I am sure that Nigerians are waiting for the Bill to be thrown into the dustbin of history ” Adenola stated.
