Presidency reacts to Sowore’s re-arrest

The Presidency has reacted to the purported re-arrest of Omoyele Sowore, the convener of the RevolutionNow protest, in a courtroom by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a release titled “Sowore: Between Facts and Fiction”, said the DSS did not “necessarily need” the permission of the Presidency in all cases to carry out its essential responsibilities laid down in the Nigerian Constitution.

Shehu, who said the Presidency noted some of the insinuations in the media about the arrest by the DSS of the agitator, Sowore, added that it should not surprise anyone who had followed his actions and words that he (Sowore) “is a person of interest to the DSS.”

He said Sowore called for a revolution to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nigeria on television and from a privileged position as the owner of a widely read digital newspaper run from the United States of America.

The presidential media aide added that he also founded an organisation, Revolution Now, to launch, “Days of Rage”, with the publicised purpose of fomenting mass civil unrest and the elected administration’s overthrow.

Shehu, who said no government would allow anybody to “openly” call for destabilization in the country and do nothing, stated that Mr Sowore is no ordinary citizen expressing his views freely on social media and the internet as he was a presidential candidate himself in the February 23 general elections.

The release read, “Nigeria’s democracy was a long time in the making, and was achieved after decades of often harsh, military-led overthrows of government: the kind of situation Sowore was advocating.

To believe in and desire armed revolution is not normal amongst ‘human rights activists’, as Sowore has been incorrectly described.

“Again, it is no surprise that he should be a person of interest to the DSS.

“Nigeria is already dealing with an insurgency that has left millions of people displaced and desperate in the northeastern region of our country.

“The Boko Haram militants, who are behind the violence, also fancy themselves to be fighting for some sort of revolution.

“Nigerians do not need another spate of lawlessness and loss of lives all in the name of ‘revolution’, especially not one that is orchestrated by a man who makes his home in far away New York – and who can easily disappear and leave behind whatever instability he intends to cause, to wit, Nnamdi Kanu.

“This is a matter for the DSS, acting under its powers.”