CITIZENS COMPASS— An Ogun-born politician, Princess Olatorera Majekodunmi-Oniru, on Saturday, condemned the re-arrest of the former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress(AAC), Omoyele Sowore by the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force.
Sowore was re-arrested yesterday, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, while in solidarity with the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who is being detained by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Condemning the re-arrest, Majekodunmi-Oniru in a statement, said: “The repeated arrest and harassment of presidential candidate and pro-democracy leader, Omoyele Sowore, represents a grave assault on Nigeria’s constitutional order. His most recent arrest on the grounds of the Federal High Court in Abuja, after appearing in solidarity with another victim of political persecution, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is a blatant provocation against peaceful citizens. We demand their immediate and unconditional release, an end to the harassment of Nigerians exercising their civic rights, and fair compensation for all who have been wrongfully detained, dehumanized, or tortured.
“This continued pattern of repression is unconstitutional, unlawful, and morally indefensible. Nigeria is a signatory to international treaties that uphold the rights to free expression and peaceful assembly; these treaties include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Yet, these principles are routinely violated by a political elite that shields corruption while persecuting voices of truth. The same state that tolerates leaders with forged credentials and unresolved corruption and human-rights abuse allegations cannot justify the imprisonment of those who speak for justice. At a time when the nation faces overwhelming poverty, broken infrastructure, and widespread despair, persecuting reformers like Sowore deepens the moral and structural decay Nigeria must urgently confront.
“The unlawful detention of one voice is an assault on all voices. Nigeria cannot survive or attain her highest potential through fear and silence. It is unconscionable to normalize the criminality of intentional injustice. Omoyele Sowore has committed no crime. His courage represents the conscience of a true leader crying out for a nation under deepest strain. The current governing class must act with wisdom and humanity by releasing him now, unconditionally, and compensating all victims of oppression. No human right, No Nigerian citizen’s right, should ever be suppressed, under any circumstance, in a true democracy. The world must not look away as Nigeria’s institutions are manipulated to silence those who demand accountability and justice.”
