TheCitizen - It's all about you
  • Home
  • Headlines
  • Latest News
  • Governance
  • Business
  • Financial Crimes
  • Opinion
  • Editorials
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Headlines
  • Latest News
  • Governance
  • Business
  • Financial Crimes
  • Opinion
  • Editorials
No Result
View All Result
TheCitizen - It's all about you
No Result
View All Result

Unnecessary distraction – The Nation

The Citizen by The Citizen
December 15 2019
in Public Affairs
A A
0
Unnecessary distraction – The Nation
22
SHARES
734
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

It is in the interest of the Federal Government to free Sowore and obey the courts

At the beginning, it seemed a routine of overzealous government officials. Calls of condemnation were muted and, for most part, ignored. Day followed day, and Omoyele Sowore was still behind bars. Week followed week, and it was no longer a matter of levity.

The Buhari administration was now known to follow a familiar script. We are witnessing it in the cases of former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki and the Shiite leader Ibrahim el Zakzaky. Were we going to accept this jackboot style under a democracy? The uproar rose in decibel. And in spite of the clamour, members of the Department of State Services heeded only with deaf ears.

The matter, as it must follow the democratic principles, now belongs to the courts. After deliberations, the sanctum of justice decided he had no case to answer and he was asked to be let go on bail. Defiance of impunity was the reaction of the Federal Government.

The clamour changed from prosecution and letting him go to a constitutional matter: obey court order. The publisher of the online news portal, Sahara Reporters, suddenly was growing in the imagination of his fellow citizens. He was now being lionised by the security agency that had turned public safety watch into paranoia.

Sowore was a presidential candidate who lost because the electorate largely ignored him. A man, who was under investigation by his own party for financial opacity, was now vaulted into a conclave of heroes by a DSS that did not seem to understand the sociology of protests and the stature of those who could stir disaffection in the land.

The matter became not only a Nigerian nightmare. The international community had begun to pay attention. The international press had started to dig up facts about the online publisher and could not fathom how he had become a thorn in the nostrils of the Buhari administration.

In spite of the frenzy, the DSS would not let him go. They developed an excuse that they wanted to free him but no one had showed up to exercise the process. This is in spite of claims by members of the civil society, including Mr. Femi Falana, that they had made efforts in that regard.

The man had spent over 100 days in that vault of injustice before he eventually was released. The sigh of release did not spread oxygen over the whole nation’s body before a new drama. He was barely 48 hours out of detention when he was re-arrested. He was in a court room while the DSS operatives were also found present. The DSS has tried to divert the story from the process of his re-arrest to the theatrics in a court room.

The DSS said they did not play any part in the “wrestling match” that brought Sowore to the floor. The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has said he would set up an inquiry into how it happened. But that is beside the point at this moment.

The bottom line is that the man was re-arrested. What does that mean? It shows that the DSS was playing a game of hypocrisy and lies. It was not interested in releasing him in the first case. They were executing a dance of delay, the tyranny of bait and switch. It has no place in this democracy.

Sowore’s wife and children were already celebrating his release when the news of his re-arrest inundated the internet and news channels. It was a bitter taste. Those who wanted the administration to save itself from this unwarranted embarrassment were cornered by this act of imbecility in a republic.

This compelled a senator of the United States to hold a press conference and called on the Buhari administration to set the man free and abide by the rule of law. The United States as a country has condemned the action, and various countries in Europe are at a loss to understand why the administration praised by them for its war on corruption could not understand that the release of the man was in its own interest and would further advance the course of good governance and the virtues of democracy.

Various interest groups are raising their voices, including the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN). Prominent individuals, both on the liberal and conservative fields, are united in this matter. The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, took a swipe at the action and asked the administration to obey court order and release Sowore. “If a court makes a judicial pronouncement on a particular matter, it should be obeyed to the letter,” he said. “If you have any problem or disagree with the pronouncement, the next step is to appeal the pronouncement instead of disregarding or violating court judgments.”

Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka thunders: “Such a development is not only callous and inhuman, it is criminal. It escalates an already untenable defiance by the state. As I remarked from the onset, this is an act of government insecurity and paranoia that merely defeats its real purpose. And now – bullets? This is no longer comical.”

This Sowore case is a picture of official fear, and the government has admitted by this jackboot narrative that it has lost the argument. The DSS cannot keep the publisher forever. To put the matter out of the front burner, the Federal Government should let him go and abide by the dictates of the court and not the summons of its whim.

Share9Tweet6
Previous Post

JKF Youth Cup semi-final games hold Sunday

Next Post

The visa on arrival policy – Thisday

Related Posts

End female genital mutilation – Punch
Public Affairs

End female genital mutilation – Punch

October 17 2025
Nnaji: Nigeria’s dodgy vetting processes – Punch
Public Affairs

Nnaji: Nigeria’s dodgy vetting processes – Punch

October 16 2025
Vacations and governance: Why President Tinubu’s trip matters -Guardian
Public Affairs

Tinubu, honour promise to ASUU – Punch

October 15 2025
The killings in the South East – Thisday
Public Affairs

The killings in the South East – Thisday

October 14 2025
IOCs: Implement host communities’ projects – Punch
Public Affairs

IOCs: Implement host communities’ projects – Punch

October 13 2025
Don’t arm FRSC – Punch
Public Affairs

Don’t arm FRSC – Punch

October 10 2025
Next Post
Nigeria reduces visa fee for US citizens

The visa on arrival policy - Thisday

Germany needs skilled non-EU workers – Angela Merkel

Germany needs skilled non-EU workers – Angela Merkel

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

FROM THE GRASSROOTS

ALGON orders Edo council officials to wear Tinubu’s signature caps

ALGON orders Edo council officials to wear Tinubu’s signature caps

by The Editor
October 18 2025
0

...

Olubadan unveils legal committee to tackle land grabbing

Olubadan unveils legal committee to tackle land grabbing

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

...

Birnin Gwari needs urgent federal intervention – Emir tells Tinubu

Birnin Gwari needs urgent federal intervention – Emir tells Tinubu

by The Editor
October 13 2025
0

...

Rivers court adjourns hearing on LG poll legitimacy

Rivers court adjourns hearing on LG poll legitimacy

by The Editor
September 16 2025
0

...

APPOINTMENTS

Tinubu seeks Omidiran, 28 others’ confirmation as FCC members

Tinubu seeks Omidiran, 28 others’ confirmation as FCC members

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

...

Okpebholo swears in 19 commissioners, warns against corruption

Okpebholo swears in 19 commissioners, warns against corruption

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

...

Fubara drops Danagogo, appoints Anabraba as Rivers SSG

Fubara drops Danagogo, appoints Anabraba as Rivers SSG

by The Editor
October 13 2025
0

...

Savannah Energy signs agreement with Chadian govt for new renewable energy projects

Savannah Energy announces board changes, appoints two Nigerians as Independent Non-Executive Directors

by The Editor
October 9 2025
0

...

ODDITIES

Lagos to probe school over alleged sodomy

Father impregnates 15-year-old daughter in Ondo

by The Editor
October 17 2025
0

Court orders exhumation, autopsy of Afriland Towers fire victims

Court orders exhumation, autopsy of Afriland Towers fire victims

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

Slain husband’s dad forgives Maryam Sanda, backs Tinubu’s pardon

Slain husband’s dad forgives Maryam Sanda, backs Tinubu’s pardon

by The Editor
October 14 2025
0

GLOBAL NEWS

Madagascar’s military leader swears in as president

Madagascar’s military leader swears in as president

by The Editor
October 18 2025
0

...

Trump, Putin to meet in Budapest over Ukraine war

Trump, Putin to meet in Budapest over Ukraine war

by The Editor
October 17 2025
0

...

2026 Hajj: Saudi govt approves 66,910 slots for Nigeria

2026 Hajj: Saudi govt approves 66,910 slots for Nigeria

by The Editor
October 17 2025
0

...

Trump persuades India to stop buying Russian oil

Trump persuades India to stop buying Russian oil

by The Editor
October 16 2025
0

...

Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga dies in India

Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga dies in India

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

...

State of the States

21.8% North-East residents HIV positive – NBS …as 16,000 die from HIV complications in Borno

Adamawa records 8,850 new HIV infections in four years

by The Editor
October 17 2025
0

...

Zamfara APC condemns state govt’s mass sacking of civil servants

Zamfara APC condemns state govt’s mass sacking of civil servants

by The Editor
October 14 2025
0

...

Gov. Otti set to build modern fire station in Umuahia

Gov. Otti set to build modern fire station in Umuahia

by The Editor
October 7 2025
0

...

Senator denies bill to rename Kaduna to Zazzau State

Kaduna State pays ₦72,000 minimum wage

by The Editor
September 18 2025
0

...

Plugin Install : Widget Tab Post needs JNews - View Counter to be installed
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Imo police boss to probe officers in viral video with cult insignia

Imo police boss to probe officers in viral video with cult insignia

October 18 2025
DHQ denies alleged coup attempt to topple fed govt

DHQ denies alleged coup attempt to topple fed govt

October 18 2025
FG drives grassroot mobilisation campaign for PVC collection

FG drives grassroot mobilisation campaign for PVC collection

October 18 2025
Nigeria: IMF insists on fuel subsidy removal

Nigeria missing as IMF lists Africa’s fastest-growing economies

October 18 2025

EDITORIAL REVIEW

End female genital mutilation – Punch

End female genital mutilation – Punch

by The Editor
October 17 2025
0

Nnaji: Nigeria’s dodgy vetting processes – Punch

Nnaji: Nigeria’s dodgy vetting processes – Punch

by The Editor
October 16 2025
0

Vacations and governance: Why President Tinubu’s trip matters -Guardian

Tinubu, honour promise to ASUU – Punch

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

The killings in the South East – Thisday

The killings in the South East – Thisday

by The Editor
October 14 2025
0

IOCs: Implement host communities’ projects – Punch

IOCs: Implement host communities’ projects – Punch

by The Editor
October 13 2025
0

Opinion

Tinubu finds his own demons

Next time, Umahi should go to NTA

by The Editor
October 16 2025
0

...

Objections over presidential pardon for grave offenders

Objections over presidential pardon for grave offenders

by The Editor
October 13 2025
0

...

1975 public service purge: What have we learnt?

1975 public service purge: What have we learnt?

by The Editor
September 30 2025
0

...

Tinubu finds his own demons

Nigeria’s state of weakness

by The Editor
September 18 2025
0

...

Plugin Install : Popular Post Widget need JNews - View Counter to be installed
  • Home
  • Headlines
  • Latest News
  • Governance
  • Business
  • Financial Crimes
  • Opinion
  • Editorials

© 2024 TheCitizen Ng. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Headlines
  • Latest News
  • Governance
  • Business
  • Financial Crimes
  • Opinion
  • Editorials

© 2024 TheCitizen Ng. All Rights Reserved.