Tinubu To Sack NSA
Leaders of #EndBadGovernance protests under the umbrella of Abuja Network Left Groups have called for the immediate sacking of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun and the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi for the role they played in clamping down on peaceful protesters across the country.
The group led by Creative Change Centre, Movement for Socialist Alternative, Movement for Socialist Alternative, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Civil Rights Council and Take It Back Movement called for the release of those abducted by security agents including Michael Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq, Angel, and Comrade Opaoluwa.
The activists said they would not engage in any dialogue with the Nigerian government until those being held for participating in the protests across the country are released unconditionally.
They disclosed this in a statement jointly signed by the leaders and made available to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to the Coordinator of Creative Change Centre, Omole Ibukun, the Nigerian government’s response to the peaceful #EndBadGovernance protests is worrisome and unacceptable.
He faulted President Bola Tinubu’s government for the use of force and repression against protesters, including the midnight abduction of Michael Lenin, Sodiq, Opaoluwa and Angel.
He said the action is a stark reminder of the dark days of military dictatorship in Nigeria, especially the brutal Sani Abacha regime that Nigerians resisted.
He said, “This response only signifies a government that prioritizes maintaining, consolidating and reasserting its power and dominance on Nigerians so can they can continue to exploit our public resources for their private wealth, over the well-being and democratic rights of its citizens.
“The situation has become so bad that the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, is using his joint squad of Police, DSS, NIA, Nigerian Army, etc., to exploit the insecurity in Nigeria that he is supposed to address.
“The situation of kidnapping in Nigeria is so bad that when people’s loved ones disappear, it is often considered a case of kidnapping because kidnapping is rampant.
“The NSA is hiding under this rampant kidnapping situation to pick up decent and law-abiding Nigerians and dump them in detentions without allowing them access to their loved ones or their lawyers.”
Also, the leader of Revolutionary Socialist Movement, Kayode Salako said attempts to link Micheal Lenin, the National Coordinator of the Youth Rights Campaign, to some form of foreign-sponsored terrorism because of his political name are not only far-fetched, but also farcical and laughable.
He said, “Comrade Lenin was arrested in the most inhumane manner. He was blindfolded and handcuffed to the back for almost half of a day, and dump in a freezingly cold cell room where they are followed around by brutal and unstable police IRT officials, even when they want to use the toilet.
“In the case of Comrade Opaoluwa, a trade union leader at the electricity union NUEE, he was picked up by the same squad several days to the protests for being one of the potential sponsors of the protests and dumped at the Police IRT in Abuja like others. This is the same police IRT that is so notorious for corruption and brutality such that its last sensational leader, Abba Kyari ended up in prison for serious criminal offences.”
Akande Daniel Babatunde of the Movement for Socialist Alternative said, “Anti-subversion laws are draconian colonial heritage that should not be heard of in a country that intends to celebrate 64th year of Independence Day in less than seven weeks by October 1.
“The subversive elements subverting the spirit of the Nigerian constitution are the politicians like Nyesom Wike who purchased an illegitimate court order to restrict the protesters to a certain point in Abuja, after which we were teargassed, even while protesting at that point.
“The subversive elements are the likes of Godswill Akpabio who shares the public wealth of Nigerians to Senators in form of ‘prayers’ and was bold enough to say they will be eating while we are protesting. The subversive elements are the likes of Tinubu who continue to ignore the genuine demands of protesters and order the security forces and pro-state thugs to clamp and maim peaceful protesters.”
