It is no longer news as the convener of the #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore was released on the eve of Thursday, 5th December 2019 from the custody of the Department of Defense and Security (DSS) in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria.
Recall the publisher of SaharaReporters, Mr Sowore was arrested on August 3 for planning a series of protests to demand good governance.
Mr Sowore first met his bail on November 6, one month ago, but he was not released. A federal judge, on Thursday morning, gave 24 hours for Mr Sowore to be released.
Following his release, it’s adversely believed by many Nigerians, the youths in particular that the country is trailing a just path as a result of paying the supreme price by obeying the Federal Court’s injunction. However, some persons described the trials of Mr. Sowore as hard lessons that must be learnt particularly by those who are antagonising the government-of-the-day.
The questions on the bear are, after Sowore’s release, what next? Should we pretend to applaud the good gestures displayed by the federal government in terms of yielding to the Court’s verdicts or praise Mr. Sowore’s for enduring the cross? Can we boldly say that our democracy is truly working or otherwise?
Truly, the above rhetorics can be best reconciled around what’s deemed right and vise versa in the cause of ascertaining justice within the ambit of the laws.
Yes! Mr. Sowore’s action might be considered threatening to the internal security of the country but it is the duty of every right thinking government to follow the due legal process to ensure that an offender is not wrongfully detained for the crime he’s alleged to have committed.
On the other hand, we must ensure that the law has its full cause through the enactors rather than taking laws into our hands as seen displayed by Mr. Sowore who through his activism planned to revolutionise Nigeria without considering the implications associated with paying the supreme price.
Today, the activist would definitely have many stories to tell as he gains freedom from the custody of the DSS.
At this juncture, I would like to commend the federal government under the leadership of His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari for trailing the path of justice by ensuring that Mr. Sowore gained his freedom as permitted by the law.
However, it is not enough that the federal government obey Court’s orders but also see that what’s sauce for the goose is also extended to the gander.
In this regards, I mean the government should ensure that not only the opposition parties are attacked in terms of criticism but also ensure that those in the so-called pro-government cabre are placed on appropriate disciplinary actions whenever they are found wanting in the cause of their politicking.
– Arogbonlo Israel, writes from Lagos
