A league comprising an alliance of media and civil society organisations, Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) has condemned the Department of State Security (DSS) over its attempt to re-arrest activist and convener of #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore, in a courtroom.
Blueprint reports that Sowore rearrest within the court premises Friday, came after 125 days in the DSS custody.
The invasion also happened less than 24 hours after he was released by the agency.
The coalition has therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to punish the agents involved in the attack on the court as well as the agency’s leadership.
According to the agency, it would assure Nigerians and the international community that the officials were not acting under the president’s instructions and that his government does not condone their actions.
In a signed statement by the group media officer Stephanie Adams, the coalition said the failure of President Buhari and his government to take immediate and decisive action would put a permanent blemish on the administration’s human rights record.
The invasion according to the coalition was an assault on the authority and independence of the judiciary, saying it was an unacceptable violation of the principles of the rule of law in a constitutional democracy.
The coalition then called on the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to investigate the human rights situation in Nigeria, warning that the country is rapidly descending into totalitarianism and tyranny.
The coalition added that any delay by the international community in taking firm action to address the Nigerian situation could result in a violent conflict in Africa’s most populous nation, which would constitute a grave threat to international peace and security, particularly in the region.
