Human rights activist and convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, has warned the Nigerian government and security agencies that they are wasting their time if they attempt to arrest him before the protest tagged #FearlessInOctober.
The protest, scheduled for October 1, is a mass action by Nigerians to demand for good governance, an end to hunger, bad policies, corruption and insecurity in the country
The activist who arrived in Abuja, the nation’s capital, on Monday morning disclosed this while addressing his supporters and journalists shortly after the court proceedings of one of his court cases at the Federal High Court Abuja.
He said he was in the country to attend some of his court cases slated for Monday, September 23, before Justice Emeka Nwite.
Sowore said whether he was physically present during the protest or not, the protest would go on as scheduled adding that anybody plotting his arrest was just wasting his or her time.
He recounted how the #RevolutionNow protest was held across the country despite his arrest in 2019 by the Department of State Services (DSS) just as he called on Nigerians not to be intimidated by the security agencies but to go ahead to exercise their constitutional rights.
According to Sowore, “We got a new date again after coming to court and we are going to be back in November.
“So it is very important that before November, there is October and in October there is October 1 and there is #FearlessInOctober. Let me say that I am really proud of those of you who fought August #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria struggle. I couldn’t be here but I will be here for this one and if they arrest me that day, please don’t let that disturb you. You should double your enthusiasm to make it even bigger.
“Because I was arrested in 2019 before #RevolutionNow and it still happened. I was restricted to Abuja we still make #EndSARS happened. So I was not in Nigeria and #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria happened. So I am not even a big deal anymore in this struggle. You guys have become more radical than myself. So anybody that is wasting his time plotting something is just wasting his time because Nigerians have reached a point where they are no longer afraid of death.
“Tinubu government has killed us with economic policies and those people who believe that election can solve their problem, they saw it in Edo election yesterday.”
He said the protesters were not ready to have any secret meeting with any government officials adding that it was crystal clear that the Nigerian government didn’t believe in dialogue but to impose their agenda on Nigerians.
He lamented how the labour leaders were betrayed after a series of meetings and negotiations leading to the arrest of the President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero.
The activists condemned the Bola Tinubu-led government for subjecting Nigerians to untold hardship with the exponential increase in price of fuel, electricity tariff, school fees and cost of living. He said Nigerians had been suffocated and could no longer feed their families owing to the anti-people policies of the government.