Presidency Backs DSS, Says Agency Entitled to Abort Security Threats

The presidency’s position also came under criticisms from the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere; Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC) and human and environmental rights activist, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, for justifying the re-arrest of Sowore.
Amidst the tension generated by the re-arrest of Sowore, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) rose from a meeting yesterday, restating its call for the restructuring of Nigeria.
Shehu said it was not all the time the DSS needed the permission of the presidency to carry out its essential responsibilities as laid down in the Nigerian constitution – which was the foundation for the restoration of democracy in the country in 1999.
According to him, Sowore is a person of interest to the DSS in view of his actions and words and accused him of calling for a revolution to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nigeria.
“He did so, on television, and from a privileged position as the owner of a widely read digital newspaper run from the United States of America. He founded an organisation, Revolution Now, to launch, in their own words, “Days of Rage,” with the publicised purpose of fomenting mass civil unrest and the elected administration’s overthrow. No government will allow anybody to openly call for destabilisation in the country and do nothing,” he explained.
According to him, Sowore is not an ordinary citizen who is just expressing his views freely on social media and the internet but also a presidential candidate in the February 23 general election.
He said: “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.
But in a swift reaction, Afenifere yesterday said recent developments in Nigeria had shown that the nation had slipped into an abyss of totalitarian rule.
Its spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, in a reaction to the presidency’s justification of the re-arrest of Sowore, told THISDAY that the statement is a proof that the country had slipped into totalitarian rule.
According to him, a truly democratic regime would have condemned the conduct of the DSS in court on Friday with a promise to investigate it.
He said: “But this presidency ignored the sacrilege of desecration of the temple and went after Sowore whom it describes as a ‘person of interest’ to the Gestapo.
“Does it occur to them what DSS did on Friday was a coup against the judiciary and worse than the unstaged revolution of Sowore.
“The statement shows this administration is far too gone in its way of riding roughshod over all that we hold dear as a nation. If Nigerians do not assert constitutionalism with all peaceful and democratic rule, this country may well be resting in pieces in the grip of dictatorship and arbitrariness.”
Bassey, however, said the government’s position was not surprising, adding that the federal government and its agencies had consistently overreacted in their dealing with the call by Sowore for a revolution.
He said:“Governments in Nigeria over the years have clamoured for a revolution. This includes the one that was headed by General Buhari in his time as a military dictator. War against indiscipline was a sort of revolution. We have heard of many revolutions including the one that was tagged “ethical revolution.” No one was harassed, arrested and imprisoned.
When anyone says that statements calling for a revolution amount to a call for insurrection, that is going too far. That can qualify as policing our thoughts. It suggested the operation of an opaque system in which citizens can be ambushed and gagged.
“Arresting Sowore whether inside or on the verandah of the court is despicable and utterly objectionable and cannot be justified. The government can bring this episode to a close-by simply allowing the rule of law to prevail. The DSS is an agency of government and the presidency can take a higher ground at this time.”
On his part, the President of IYC, Mr. Eric Omare, faulted the presidency’s statement, pointing out that in one breath it said it had nothing to do with the re-arrest of Sowore and at the same time said no government would allow anybody to openly call for the destabilisation of the country.
“It is obvious that the illegal actions of the DSS in the desecration of the hallowed temple of justice have the blessing of the presidency. This is unfortunate and condemnable. The issue is not about a government trying to enforce its laws against someone who called for insurrection but about respect for due process in trying to enforce the rule of law,” he added.
Also, former Political Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Akin Osuntokun, said: “There is nothing to add to what eminent Nigerians like Professor Wole Soyinka have said. In addition to the prevailing unspeakable misgovernance, there is also the element of a self-destructive streak in its behavior.”