Concerned Nigerians, a human right group, has condemned the arrest of Omoyele Sowore by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The group made this known in a statement signed by Deji Adeyanju, the convener and Hauwa Abdulsalam, national secretary.
The group said: "We are worried that our rights as citizens enshrined in Section 40 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to freely assemble and protest against maladministration and bad governance is no longer guaranteed.
"At a time when democracy is being entrenched and strengthened all over the world, Nigeria is sliding back into the dark days of military regime where citizens are being hounded and afraid to ask salient questions as to how they should be governed.
"Nigeria has become a nation where bandits, who have killed thousands of citizens, are holding meeting with government officials in government houses, where the army is releasing Boko Haram members and saying they can become president & where government negotiates frequently with armed groups.
"We have equally read the statement of the Nigerian Police Force describing the #RevolutionNow protest as a ploy to force regime change in the country. It’s greatly worrisome that the police, with the power to investigate, will not care to find out what the objective of the group is, as clearly spelt out in their demands.
"The #RevolutionNow group is advocating for an economy for all, an end to incessant killings in the country, equal opportunity for every Nigerian, free education for all, living wages and an end to impunity by the people in government. These demands are not out of place and shouldn’t be seen as treasonable felony or act of terrorism.
"The authorities should know that there’s no other way to describe an act of terrorism than the weaponization of poverty by the political class. The Nigerian Police, making these frivolous allegations against a group with a well spelt out agenda that encompasses economic emancipation for the Nigerian people are equally not immune to the systemic failure that the group wants an end to.
"Finally, it’s never too late for the Nigerian government to retrace its step and respect the rights of citizens to freely assemble and express themselves. The Buhari-led government and those behind the arrests of our comrades should know that power is transient and their actions are capable of derailing our 20 years of democratic journey. Enough is enough!"
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