ENDSARS Protesters demand Sowore’s arrest for ‘breaching bail conditions’

Some of the protesters were arrested.

Yet, some other #EndSARS protesters demanded the revocation of the bail granted the RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore, following his earlier arrest and detention by the Department of State Service (DSS) for alleged treason.

They accused Sowore of breaching his bail conditions.

Those who massed at the National Assembly had gone as far as painting #ENDSARS in red on the road leading into the complex.

They had also begun to chant songs when a team of policemen swooped on the area and dispersed them with teargas.

Some were arrested.

A group of #EndSARS protesters yesterday asked the Federal Government to revoke the bail granted the RevolutionNow convener and publisher of SaharaReporters,Omoyele Sowore, following his earlier arrest and detention by the Department of State Service (DSS) for alleged treason.

Genuine #EndSARS Protesters, as the group identified itself, commended the police for the way it dislodged those it called a handful of misguided youths who had gathered at the National Assembly’s gate to foment trouble under the pretext of #EndSARS protest.

The Genuine #EndSARS Protesters, in a statement, said Sowore “must not only be immediately arrested but also have his bail revoked.”

The group claimed that the renewed protest being spearheaded by Sowore was not known to it, stressing that it had backed down from the protests and was already meeting with government at all levels on the roundtable.

The group appealed to parents “to advise their wards against allowing themselves to be misled by Mr. Sowore”, who it accused of attempting to hijack the #EndSARS platform to deliberately blackmail President Muhammadu Buhari and his government.

It said Sowore was out to “feather his own nest”.

The group said: “We feel concerned that after we backed down from the protests and are now engaging governments at all levels with a view to resolving the issues that informed the protest, the said Mr. Sowore is busy assembling some misguided elements, using our platform.

“We are, however, not surprised at Mr. Sowore’s insistence on protest, given his antecedents.

“We recall that he had called on revolution against the present federal administration, leading to his arrest and detention.

“And given his ignoble role in this act, we are not surprised at what he is driving at. It is in this regard that we wish to strongly appeal to the security agencies to see Mr. Sowore as a security threat and treat him as one.

“By this, we are not only calling for his arrest but also appealing to the federal authorities to immediately arrest and withdraw his bail conditions for flouting the conditions attached to it.

“It may be further recalled that owing to the entrenchment of democratic tenets under the current administration, which adheres strictly to the principle of rule of law, institutional independence and non-interference, the court graciously granted Sowore bail with conditions attached therein.

One of such conditions was a restriction on addressing public gatherings until the criminal trial was concluded.

“In his characteristic disobedience to law and properly constituted authorities, Sowore has continued to observe that aspect of his bail conditions in the breach.

“We have taken the pain of articulating these points to show to the world who this man truly is, as a prelude to the obvious attempt to hijack a worthy cause initiated by patriotic youths with genuine agitations.

“Having said this, we wish to unequivocally call on the security agencies to immediately arrest and detain Mr Omoyele Sowore for investigation.

The statement was signed by Dr Orji Nwakocha for South East; Dr Aremu Babatunde for South West; Comrade Frank Jaja representing South South and Alhaji Ibrahim Dan Iya for North West.

Others are Sheik Mohammed Adamu for North East;  Mr Dakwohi Samson for FCT;  and Comrade Peter Yohana for North Central.