A rights group, Centre for Change (CFC), led by Joe Okei-Odumakin has frowned at the arrest on Monday of the Publisher of Sahara Reporters and Convener of #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore, by security operatives around Abuja court premises “probably to attend the scheduled court session involving five activists,” saying such act must stop as freedoms, liberties, and fundamental rights of citizens were not at their whims and caprices or of the government they purport to work for.
The group, which also condemned the attack on Brock Media journalist, Yusuf Rock, whose camera was snatched from him, while he narrowly escaped arrest, reminded that Nigeria is into democracy and a nation under law, not a dictatorship or banana republic.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu had directed the Department of State Security Services (DSS) to produce in court on Monday the five arrested activists who wore the ‘Buhari Must Go’ T-shirts to Dunamis Church, Abuja recently.
The five activists were arrested on the church premises and had been in DSS custody since then.
Reports have it that Sowore was released later in the day by the security operatives.
President of CFC, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, made this condemnation in a statement titled: “Stop the harassment of journalists,” copy of which was made available to Tribune Online, reminding that security operatives were public servants who owed their authority to the Nigerian Constitution and not to the government of the day.
Besides, Okei-Odumakin, who is also president, Women Arise, reminded that governments come and go but citizens remained the boss of those in government at all times.
“These must stop. The freedoms, liberties, and fundamental rights of citizens are not at the whims and caprices of security operatives or of the government they purport to work for.
“Security operatives are public servants who owe their authority to the Constitution and not to the government of the day.
“Governments come and go but citizens remain the boss of those in government at all times,” the activist said.
“Once again, it bears repeating that this is a democracy and a nation under law, not a dictatorship or banana republic,” she added.
Okei-Odumakin argued that the citizens deserved to be informed of goings-on regardless of how sensitive a trial might be, saying that the government had no business muzzling the media whether in the trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, or that of the Yoruba self-determination activist, Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
“Regardless how sensitive a trial may be, the people deserve to be informed of goings-on. Whether the trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu or that of the Yoruba self-determination activist, Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho, the government must not muzzle the media,” CFC president argued.
The activist, who recalled that Sowore was accosted as he life streamed activities around the court vicinity, while his phone was also seized from him before he was whisked away, even as she added that the camera belonging to Brock Media was equally snatched from its journalist, Yusuf Rock, who narrowly escaped arrest, declared that all these harassments of journalists performing their lawful duty of informing the populace must cease.
According to her, the media have been saddled with the responsibility of holding the government accountable to the people, saying they must be allowed to discharge such duty without shackles and hindrances of any sort.
“All these harassment of journalists performing their lawful duty of informing the populace must cease.
“The media have been saddled with the responsibility of holding government accountable to the people.
“This duty they must be allowed to perform without shackles and hindrances of any sort,” Okei-Odumakin said.
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Okei-Odumakin-led group condemns Sowore’s arrest by security operatives