A Human Rights group, Rights Movement of Nigeria (CRMN), has called on the Federal Government not to be soft with Omoyele Sowore and others, who want to forcibly take-over the reins of government.
At a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the civil rights organization called on the security agencies to arrest others involved in the campaign.
Over the weekend, the Police and the Department of State Security (DSS) accused Sowore and the Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria of trying to force a regime change in the country.
The security agencies said inciting Nigerians, home and abroad, to join a planned ‘revolution’ march against the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Monday, August 5, amounts to treasonable felony and acts of terrorism.
Sowore, a pro-democracy activist and the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the last general elections, had been “deluding a critical mass of Nigerians, through various platforms, in readiness for #RevolutionNow, a series of planned protests against the government.”
However, according to CCRMNs President, Aaron Dutoye, Sowore had a clear blueprint designed by the major opposition party to overthrow the government, having failed to legitimately do so at the last elections.
The group has therefore advised the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately “arraign Sowore for treason.”
CRMN further urged the DSS to secure a court order to keep Sowore in its custody once he is arraigned given the gravity of the crime he has committed and the potential instability his release could pose.
”We demand that the Department of State Services (DSS) immediately arraigns Omoyele Sowore for treason to serve as deterrent to others with similar intentions, and that includes the foreign agents in Nigeria. The Service must ensure that it secures an order from the court to make him remain in custody once he is arraigned given the gravity of the crime he has committed and the risk his type poses to stability in the country.
”Since those goading Sowore to prison are pleading freedom of speech, an arraignment in court will provide him the chance to convince the court that this was the case and where he fails he can be rest assured that his tenancy will be guaranteed at whatever prison he is assigned to.
”Those that are threatening to cause mayhem to demand Sowore’s release and those threatening to press ahead with the protests should note that that same fate awaits them because there are specific laws that are being violated,” the group said.
