A global rights group, Amnesty International, has faulted the shooting of tear gas at the Convener of Revolution Now Movement, Omoyele Sowore, during a rally in Abuja yesterday.

This is coming as a human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), and his Musician son, Folarin, aka Falz, along with scores of residents of Lagos yesterday took to the streets to protest against the insecurity and poverty ravaging the country.

The former presidential candidate, who was injured by the tear gas canister fired by a police operative in Abuja, was rushed to the hospital.

Footage of the incident showed Sowore falling on the ground after the canister hit him.

Reacting, Amnesty International noted that protesters deserved to be listened to, not shot at.

The human rights group also asked the Federal Government to investigate the incident.

Amnesty International received disturbing reports that activist Omoyele Sowore was shot by the police, during a protest against rampant insecurity in Abuja. Protesters deserved to be listened to, not shot at.

We call on the Nigerian authorities to investigate the incident and bring perpetrators to justice,

the organisation tweeted.

Also reacting, Mrs. Joe Okei-Odumakin, widow of the late human rights activist, Yinka Odumakin, yesterday, took a break from her self-imposed three-month mourning period to condemn the reported shooting of Sowore.

Reacting in a statement titled, ‘Are we at war? Mourning Joe Okei-Odumakin asks FG’, Okei-Odumakin, who is the President of Centre for Change, urged the federal government not to further heat up the polity by abusing the fundamental human rights of citizens.

She said,

This is unacceptable! Nigeria is a democratic country under law and not a dictatorship or banana republic.

Freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of movement are some of the fundamental human rights granted to Nigerian citizens by the 1999 Constitution as amended.

The widely-expressed flaws of this Constitution notwithstanding, it still charges journalists to hold the government accountable to the people.

It accords the people the right of peaceful protest, especially when drawing government officials’ attention to their failings and the expectations of citizens from them, which is legitimate.

However, the Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory said Sowore was not shot at.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, Mariam Yusuf, made the claim in a statement after the incident.

There is no record of such incident as at the time of this report,

she said.

Yusuf said police operatives professionally restored calm at the Unity Fountain following attempts by a group of protesters to incite public disturbance.

She said the protesters were resisted by police operatives to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order.

In another development, human rights lawyer, Falana (SAN), and his Musician son, Folarin, aka Falz, along with scores of residents of Lagos yesterday took to the streets to protest against the insecurity and poverty ravaging the country.

The protesters, under the aegis of the Peoples Alternative Political Movement, marched from the busy Ikeja Bus Stop to the Governor’s Office through the Secretariat to the Lagos State House of Assembly chanting protest songs.

The movement is a coalition of hundreds of groups including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliates, the Alliance On Surviving COVID-19 And Beyond; Joint Action Front; Coalition Of Northern Groups; Green Alliance Nigeria; CONGOS – Edo; North East Development Association and their respective affiliates.

The demonstration, which was tagged, ‘Enough is Enough’, lasted for several hours as youths carried placards which read, ‘No to Exploitation and Multiple Taxation’, ‘Provide Jobs or Unemployment Benefits for Youths’, ‘Provide Security in Schools’, ‘End Kidnapping and Banditry’ and ‘Stop Killings, Secure Nigeria’.

The protesters, which included trade unions, civil society, students, farmers and peasants, were led by Jaye Gaskiya, a foremost activist

Gaskiya said the protest was organised to express displeasure over how badly the country had degenerated.

He expressed worry that Nigeria, characterised by extreme poverty, arms proliferation, religious intolerance, the rise of hate and ethnic nationalism is moving towards social upheavals due to exploitation of the people, greed and avarice of a spineless political class that has reached its wits end.

A statement issued captured seven key demands which include the immediate convening of the Nigeria Police Council to discuss the security challenges and an end to the arbitrary sacking of workers.

It further stated,

We reject any plans to further hike energy costs – in price of fuel and electricity tariff; as these costs are not only already at unbearable levels, but also because these price hikes are the major cause of rising and unbearable costs of living, expressed in rising inflation.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.