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The arrest and subsequent detention and charge to court of Mr Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters is clouded with lessons yet to be assimilated by our discerning public especially the youths who are easily swayed by every foreign exhibition tilted towards the destruction of our nascent democracy.
Mr Sowore’s plight unfortunately only dotted some few lines in all the newspapers and also received seconds of air time attention but it did not prevent his captors the Directorate of State Security ( DSS) from carrying out what they had intended for him, which is to teach him a lesson.
Unfortunately all those who prod him to defiantly walk into the Lion’s den have retreated leaving him alone to his fate and to bear the brunt. These instigators are sleeping inside air conditioned rooms while Sowore is sleeping in mosquitoes infested room maybe regretting his move.
In the first instance, Mr Sowore as a journalist need not be lectured on the deep implication of the word “ revolution” not to talk of explaining its security implication especially when he has just finished a political race with the incumbent President who practically understands the full implication of the word having once been toppled in a coup de tat before.
It is said “ once beaten twice shy”. Truely, no reasonable and concerned Nigerian that is not averse with the security and economic difficulties facing the country . Many have thought that since Sowore had the opportunity to vie for political office, why was he unable to ganner support during his campaign trips across the country to sell his ideas. Instead he waited to be failed by lNEC and few months into the new administration, he wakes up to “topple” the government via revolution. He should have waited for either the court ruling or dust his voters card again for the 2023 election.
More unacceptable is his effrontery at swearing to see the demise and phasing off of the institution of the DSS. Is that not going to willfully drag the tail of a Lion?. Yes ,the constitution guarantee everyone the right to protest ,but not the type of protest and demonstration the country had witnessed in recent time. To worsen the situation, is the government attitude to the announcement by Mr Sowore which incidentally went viral in the social media.
Most time, it is the shaky and jittery attitude of the government and those offering advise, that often push the government into actions that would eventually boomerang to the detriment of the government.
A close review of many government actions when it concerns either the civil society movements or students activists. The high handedness of security agencies during public demonstrations usually snowball into street combat and destruction of lives and property. All these are the offshoot of military regime mentality. We are yet to score a pass mark in providing security for either protesting members of the public or demonstrators of any cadre. It is unfortunate that our security agencies usually take side before they are drafted to the street to contain either demonstrators or protesters. It ought not to be so. Security agencies are constitutionally obligated to protect members of the public. Many a times, the drafted security personnel look charged before embarking on such operational assignment, and any little misunderstanding with the demonstrators always attract instant suppression. As it is , the wrong of Mr Sowore which has been identified should not attract an over kill posture by the DSS , else fingers would also be pointing at the noticeable wrong of the DSS and it will be concluded that indeed the two wrongs cannot make a right.
(Concluded)
Mr President please intervene !!!
The shooting of three police officers returning from a covert operation in Taraba state after successfully arresting a most wanted kidnapper Alhaji Hamisu Baba ,was to say the least very painful and rather unfortunate. Painful because although they are uniformed personnels, they are fathers and bread winners to their families. The cause of their death is very straight forward and known to Nigerians including the Commander in chief of the Armed Forces and President of the country.
Trying to recap the incident may help to better construct the narratives so that the true picture can be placed on the table to help in arriving at providing answers to questions.
News reports pieced together shows that , an un marked bus carrying some men had passed three Army check points and while returning through the same way, it was noted by the men at the check point that the driver did not stop nor identified himself and those in the vehicle. Unfortunately for the occupants, at the time they were about crossing the last check point, there was a radio message alleging the movement of kidnappers whom they claimed were in the vehicle which instantly prompted the men on the ground to sporadically fire at the bus which somersaulted as the driver was first targeted . However, three of the dead men were later identified as Police officers attached to the lntelligence Response Team (IRT ) while the notorious kingpin Alhaji Hamisu Baba who was already in hand and leg cuff but survived the onslaught was immediately whisked away . Truely, there are many questions begging for answers . Interestingly, the investigative panel would unravel the true narratives. Questions like, “why was the vehicle not marked?, “why were the police men not in operational uniform?, “why did they not identify themselves knowing that the military was in charge of the security in that community? “Who made the distress call to the soldiers at the check point? , “what information was passed to the soldiers at the check point?”, “was the kingpin among the dead persons? Who in Taraba security circle was notified of the covert police operation? and “ For what reason was the captain arrested ? Each time the Police and the Military have a showdown, it is always among the junior echelon because the rapport between senior police officers and the senior military are usually cordial but rather different with the junior ranks. This is not the first of military and police clash. In the past, such clash snowball into an all out shooting and destruction. One hopes that these avoidable killings that is very rampant with the police and the military on the one hand and the police and the Civil Defence on the other hand. Also the between the police and the Customs and other para- military should surely attract the intervention of Mr President in the overall interest of innocent Nigerians.
