Police operatives on Monday sealed off the venue of a symposium where Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, and other speakers were to speak on the insecurity situation in Nigeria.
Police vehicles were positioned around the venue for the programme tagged “Democracy, State Repression and the State of insecurity in Nigeria .
The programme tagged “Democracy, State Repression and the State of insecurity in Nigeria”, was organised by Coalition for Revolution (CORE).
CORE, a group led by the detained 2019 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, and its allies, recently vowed to resume protests demanding revolution in Nigeria.
Co-convener of the group, Mr. Olaseni Ajai, had disclosed that, Monday August 19, 2019 has been fixed for the continuation of the protest tagged #RevolutionNow.
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Clarifying that the protest was not calling for removal of the Buhari-led government, Ajai said: “For the avoidance of any doubt, we hereby reiterate our five core demands: An economy that works for the masses; An effective and democratic end to insecurity; An end to systemic corruption and for total system change; The immediate implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage; including free and qualitative education for all”.
CORE also condemned that the Federal High Court ruling which empowered the Department of State Services (DSS) to keep Sowore in detention for 45 days.
Ajai said: “The order described as being renewable, reminds one of nothing but the military days of tyranny.”
He expressed worry that government is trying to reintroduce Decree 2, an order that was used to unlawfully detain many Nigerians without trial during the past military administrations under maximum rulers.
“We vehemently condemn this Decree 2 in disguise that has found its way back into our democracy. We urge Nigerians and lovers of democracy to resist this.” Ajai added.
