The last few weeks have, for me, been a sort of a rollercoaster. From London, to Edinburg and on to the Canadian capital, Ottawa, it has been one long adventure and a fresh insight on why, all of a sudden, the roads for many Nigerian youths are leading to our international airports and onto the cities of the United Kingdom, Canada and America. In these other parts of the world, essentially because I stayed much longer than I usually did whenever I travelled out of the country, I experienced, first hand, why any youth would want to put paid to the endless moaning and wailing about Nigeria’s many challenges —bad roads, insecurity, poor medical services, dilapidated infrastructure and the unending shenanigans of our self-centered politicians — and strive to make better lives for themselves and their unborn generations in other countries.
But then, that is a column for another day. Throughout my journey, I was, sorry to say, dogged on each step by the impossible stories coming out of my dear Nigeria. The nation, from reports that were daily available on the social media, appeared stuck in an unending tale of woes and bad news. Of all the untoward news that painted the country in bad light, however, none stood out in bold relief as much as the viral video of the journalist and RevolutionNow activist, Omoyele Sowore, being dragged down to the floor of the court in a desperate bid by agents of the Department of State Security (DSS) to re-arrest him. The video, which put paid to the attempt of the agency to deny the incident, dragged the nation much lower down in the estimation of the world than it had hitherto been.
This glaring desecration of the court was a misstep that could have been avoided. While the government appears convinced of the rightness of its decision to arrest and re-arrest of Sowore, who, in a television broadcast, sought for a revolution to effect a change in government and, actually began mobilization for nationwide protests “to bundle President Muhammadu Buhari out Aso Rock,” its response to his agitation ought to have followed the rule of law and every due process of the law.
Indeed, the government ought not to have made such a big deal of Sowore’s agitation, seeing that he appears to have more “mouth” than the clout and means with which he could effect the “revolution” and change of government that he said he craved. At best, he ought to have been seen as an irritant. Descending on him with all sense of seriousness and the full weight of the law has unduly increased his stature as a freedom activist. In Sowore’s case, government has attempted to hit a fly with a sledgehammer, thereby laying itself open to the charge of dictatorship and painting itself as a repressive regime.
Sowore’s case has once again exposed the underbelly of government’s penchant for simply locking up its critics, instead of speedily charging them to court and securing their conviction if they are deserving of it. There are the cases of Dasuki and Elzakyzaky who have been in government custody for ages without cases actively being pursued against them. This should not be so in a democracy. Anyone who is considered to have infringed on the laws of the land in any way ought to be allowed to have his day in court. Such persons should either be convicted and sentenced, or acquitted and discharged by the courts. Under no situation should anyone be held without timely trial. The dictates of the law must be adhered to and widely seen to be adhered to by all Nigerians for the government to win the respect and cooperation of the people.
While the government may be right or wrong in the decision to re-arrest Sowore shortly after he was granted bail, such an arrest ought not to have been within a court for any reason. As a matter of fact it would have been better for the activist to have gotten away than for the court to be desecrated in the matter depicted in the video.
Expectedly, the government’s action has led to a series of condemnations, with The Punch leading the charge. The newspaper has said that it would henceforth address the president by his military title of Major-General, while also describing his government as a regime, which is mostly used for totalitarian military governments, even though the dictionary defines a regime as an authoritarian government. The Punch’s decision has generated its own controversies, with numerous arguments for and against a newspaper’s actual role, whether it is simply to report news as it is, or to take certain positions in relation to the news that they report.
For me, addressing Buhari by his military title is neither here nor there, as it does not in any way detract from the person or authority of the president. Being a military officer in government is also not derogatory, as the perception of any leader depends on the uses to which he uses the power conferred on him, whether for good or evil. Many other newspapers and individuals have also rightly expressed their anger on the mishandling of the Sowore issue.
If, indeed, the journalist is believed to be a security risk or adjudged to have breached the laws of the land, the law should be allowed to take its course. There is no need at all for the commando-style manner of his re-arrest. If the government will not be magnanimous to take a light view of his supposed offence, then it should ensure that his case is promptly adjudicated. He, and others like Dasuki and Elzakyzaky, should not be held like prisoners of conscience. If there are any offences they have committed, let them be tried and either convicted and punished or set free. This is the best way forward for this government so that the nation can focus on those issues that will move it forward. Giving the people endless reasons for a recourse to the past will only distract attention from the efforts of the government to make a positive impact on other areas of our national life.
If you ask me, Buhari, the DSS and the courts should let Sowore go. That is the atonement the government should make for the open desecration of our courts that has made Nigeria a laughing stock in the global community. Now that the Attorney General of the Federation has collected Sowore’s casefile from the DSS, he should advise the government appropriately and let the journalist go.
The post Let Sowore go appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.