TheNewsGuru

Tag: #RevolutionNow Protest

  • [JUST IN] Independence Day: #BuhariMustGo, #RevolutionNow groups defy police presence, protest at Ojota, Lagos

    [JUST IN] Independence Day: #BuhariMustGo, #RevolutionNow groups defy police presence, protest at Ojota, Lagos

    Some Nigerians have commenced #RevolutionNow and #BuhariMustGo protest in Ojota, Lagos State on the country’s Independence Day anniversary.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG gathered that as of 11 am, the protesters had converged at the venue chanting and displaying banners and placards that read, ‘Buhari Must Go’.

    In a video shared by BBC pidgin, some police officers are at the venue were seen warning the protesters to disperse and walk away.

    The protesters chanted, “Who go tire? I no go tire”, “The suffering is enough”, “That’s how they killed Olajide Sowore, enough is enough”.

    One of them who was interviewed by the news channel said in Yoruba, “We are tired already, people are suffering, there is hunger in the land, they’ve closed borders, why? Before now, how much was a bag of Semo (semolina)? Please we need to put an end to this government.”

    One of the leaders of the protest said, “Greatest Nigerian people, we claim we are celebrating the independence of Nigeria, are we truly independent? What happened in 1960 was a change in the colour of our colonial masters.

    “Formerly, our colonial masters were white people but now we are being colonised by our people. An independent country will find a lasting solution to unemployment, an independent country will find a solution to insecurity. We are saying enough is enough, we have been cheated for too long, that’s why we have come out.

    “We will not be intimidated by the shenanigans of the political leaders. We cannot get freedom unless we get a government that works for us. Nigeria has stayed too long in the bondage of lack of infrastructure, bad governance…”

    Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore had on Thursday urged Nigerians to protest across the country on Independence Day, to reject President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The activist was reacting to a statement released by a presidential aide Femi Adesina on Thursday titled ‘October Independence Anniversary: President Buhari to broadcast to the Nation’.

    “I am urging all citizens and non-citizens of Nigeria to boycott @MBuhari’s national ‘INDEPENDENCE DAY’ broadcast scheduled for tomorrow, instead you should partake in protests across d country tomorrow to reject this man, the Failure-In-Chief of the Federal Republic #BuhariMustGo,” he said on Twitter.

    On Facebook, the activist posted, “What is this Failure-In-Chief going to broadcast to the country? #RevolutionNow #October1stProtest #BuhariMustGo.”

    TNG reports that a similar protest had held earlier on Friday (today) at Airport Road in Abuja but the protesters were later dispersed by the police.

  • Security operatives disperse #RevolutionNow protesters in Osun

    Security operatives disperse #RevolutionNow protesters in Osun

    Security operatives have dispersed #RevolutionNow protesters in Osogbo, capital of Osun State.

    The protesters, who converged on Nelson Mandela Park, Old Garage around 9 am, were dispersed almost immediately.

    However, they regrouped at Oke-Fia junction and later marched through Old Garage, Orisunbare and Ola-Iya junction, chanting anti-government songs and distributing flyers stating reasons for their agitations

    Details shortly…

  • October 1: Police send early warning message to #RevolutionNow, Oodua Republic protesters

    October 1: Police send early warning message to #RevolutionNow, Oodua Republic protesters

    Agitators for Oodua Republic and conveners of #RevolutionNow who have scheduled protest rallies and processions to mark October 1 Nigeria’s independence day celebration may have to shelve their plans, especially in Lagos, as the police has vowed that it will not allow any of such activities within the State.

    Agitators for the creation of Oodua Republic have indicated that they will hold rallies and processions across the states in South west Nigeria to demand for the secession of the region from the country.

    In the same vein, agitators, under the aegis of #RevolutionNow, led by the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, are perfecting plans to take to the streets tomorrow in protest against various social, political and economic developments in the country.

    But in an obvious move to nip such plans in the bud, the Lagos Commissioner of Police, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, on Wednesday instructed officers and men of the command not to allow any group to hod rally or protest within the state during the nation’s 60th Independence anniversary.

    Odumosu, in a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said that the Lagos State Government had cancelled the ceremonial parade in adherence to COVID-19 regulations.

    According to him, the cancellation of the ceremonial parade by the state government is to discourage the gathering of more than 50 people inorder to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

    “We will not allow any gatherings, rallies or protests against the sovereignty of Nigeria in Lagos State as the country marks its 60th Independence anniversary,” Odumosu said.

    The commissioner appealed to parents and guardians to warn their children and wards to desist from being mobilised to wage war, join any rally or protest against the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “Any youth arrested for such act will be prosecuted.

    “I urge the general public to be law-abiding and desist from violence and any act that is capable of disrupting the sovereignty of Nigeria,” Odumosu said.

    The statement also quoted Mr Celestine Okoye, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) , Department of Information and Communication Technology, as saying that it was important to maintain law and order in the state.

    Okoye also warned the officers and men of the command to act within the ambit of the law in every situation and repel any force capable of disintegrating the country.

  • Court awards N1m against FG for disrupting Sowore’s #RevolutionNow protest

    Court awards N1m against FG for disrupting Sowore’s #RevolutionNow protest

    The Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday awarded N1mllion against the Federal Government for using the police to disrupt the August 5, 2019 #RevolutionNow protest.

    Justice Maureen Onyetenu awarded the sum in favour of a Lagos-based lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, who filed the suit.

    Besides the N1million award, the court also ordered the Federal Government to tender a public apology to the applicant in three national daily newspapers.

    Ogungbeje told the judge that he participated in the #RevolutionNow protest and was, alongside other protesters, tear-gassed by security agents.

    Justice Onyetenu upheld his argument that the disruption of the peaceful protest by the Federal Government, through the police, was “illegal, oppressive, undemocratic and unconstitutional.”

    The judge agreed with the applicant, who sued on behalf of himself and other protesters that the Federal Government deprived them of their right to peaceful assembly and association, in violation of sections 38, 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution.

    The judge also condemned “the mass arrest, harassment, tear-gassing and clamping into detention” of the protesters.

    The nationwide protest was convened by the publisher of SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore, who was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) last August 3.

    Ogungbeje had urged the court to award N500million as general and exemplary damages against the Federal Government, DSS and the Attorney General of the Federation, but the court only awarded N1million.

    The judge upheld the defence of the DSS that it was not involved in the disruption of the protest.

    In the affidavit, which he filed in support of the suit, Ogungbeje said when he was co-opted into the #RevolutionNow protest, as a lawyer, he checked the constitution and found that it was lawful.

    He, however, said on getting to the take-off point of the protest in Lagos, “I met agents and operatives of the respondents, who had barricaded the venue of the peaceful protest for good governance in Nigeria.

    “I was tear-gassed by agents of the respondents and the peaceful protest was disrupted by the respondents.”

    “I have been denied my fundamental constitutional rights of peaceful assembly and association by the respondents, without cause.”