The Death of Freedom Under Buhari’s Dictatorship In Nigeria
By
Sanyaolu Juwon and Manthan Pathak
For readers discovering the hyper-violent political situation in Nigeria for the first time: identified as one of the most corrupt and terrorised countries on earth, as well as scoring highly on many other undesirable metrics, Nigeria is the definition of a failed state.
It is a country that endures the horrific marriage of political turmoil and the climate crisis; a government in bed with foreign multinational companies like Shell who have wrought environmental devastation over decades through the extraction of natural resources, the cost of which still endanger the lives of Nigerians today.
The violence that seeps through every corner of the nation reflects the turmoil the Buhari regime has inflicted upon its citizens; even stealing from them the right to free and fair elections. Those who stand in opposition have eminent cause to fear for their lives and the lives of their families.
For being at the forefront of the resistance against Buhari’s dictatorship, incompetence, and inhumane policies, RevolutionNow activists have been victims of violent repression, torture, malicious persecution, and unlawful detentions.
The most compelling starting point for this story is the human rights activist Omoyele Sowore. Sowore, also a journalist and publisher of popular online news platform Sahara Reporter, was abducted from his temporary residence in Nigeria on August 3rd, 2019 by the State Security Service, working under the direct instructions of President Muhammad Buhari. He was detained for five months and kept in solitary confinement. After disobeying two court orders that directed his immediate release, the State Security bowed to public pressure which had built up both locally and internationally. He was then released on December 24th, 2019 but confined to the city of Abuja.
Faced with the unlawful accusations without legal basis to prosecute the charge of treason brought against him for challenging Buhari’s brutal dictatorship and corruption that has made Nigeria one of the poorest countries and the third most terrorised country on earth.
Within the period of restriction to Abuja, unable to see visit his family, wife, and children, Sowore has suffered further arrests and torture from the state. On January 1st, 2021, at about 1 am, Sowore was arrested and beaten by the police while filming a New Year’s demonstration. The officers who came for him broke his nose. He was arrested and tortured alongside myself, Emmanuel Bulus, Peter Williams, and Adenola Michael. We were detained for 11 days and later released on the afternoon of January, 11.
On May 31st, 2021, Omoyele Sowore had joined activists in a procession against insecurity in the country. The protest had barely started in Abuja before Sowore was specifically shot by a female police officer, a Chief Superintendent of Police, Altine Daniel. Before shooting him on the leg at close range, CSP Altine called Sowore’s name, and fired, It was a clear case of attempted assassination. Reportedly, CSP Altine Daniel has been responsible for leading several violent repressions against protesting members of the Shiite community and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds.
Recently, on September 4th, 2021, Omoyele Sowore’s younger brother, Jide Sowore was murdered by assailants reported to killer herdsmen; an organized criminal gang of herdsmen that had been responsible for thousands of deaths and kidnappings. They have also been directly linked to the killings and abductions of political actors or their relations. Despite the national condemnation and promises made by police and top government officials to find the killers of Jide Sowore, the government seemed to be doing nothing to track the assailants. On the contrary, the police, in a bid to prevent the Sowore family from carrying out an autopsy, billed them the prohibitive sum of 800,000 Naira (£1500). It is certain that Jide Sowore was not a victim of random murder. We are convinced this was an attempt to cow the leader of our movement, and by extension, intimidate members of the movement.
Prior to the murder of Jide Sowore, we had witnessed the assassination and disappearance of our members. Aniefok Victor, one of our members in Akwa Ibom state, has been missing since 2019. He has not been seen since. On the 16th of August of this year, Ushashemba Yakubu, a leading RevolutionNow activist in Benue state was shot to death. Again, we were informed he was assassinated by killer herdsmen. Yusuf Nurudeen Omomeewa, a popular student activist at the Lagos State University was also murdered in August, right in front of the school gate by yet to be identified assailants. The police also did everything to discourage the conduct of an autopsy on the dead body. In a shocking move, they in fact presented another body that seemed almost unrecognisable. When activists and parents of the deceased objected to the police, they eventually brought out the real body. Even after this, they wanted the family to sign an undertaking not to carry out an autopsy. This again was vehemently resisted.
The regions of North and South Nigeria have become a killing field for terrorists and kidnappers. Rather than dealing with the perpetrators of violent instability in the country, the government has refused to name these killers for what they are. In addition, the regime continues to shield persons that have been identified as sponsors. While the government has deployed enormous resources into incarcerating activists, journalists, and killing protesters, it has continued to reward terrorists with ransoms, scholarships for ‘’repentant bandits’’ and huge offers of loans from the central bank of Nigeria. Every attempt at asking the government to apprehend the killer terrorists and their sponsors has been met with violent repression. The response from the Buhari regime strongly indicates that the so-called killer herdsmen and bandits are in fact the de facto private armies of the political elite, hired to carry out assassinations on behalf of the state.
In addition to Sowore, there have been other protestors, including RevolutionNow activists who are consistent victims of state violence. Myself and 39 other young activists were arrested on February 13 of this year at the Lekki Toll gate, scene of the endSARS massacre of October 20, 2020, during which at least 80 protestors were killed. We were arrested over a protest against an attempt by the government to reopen the Lekki Toll gate, where hundreds of our friends were killed by the Nigerian army. We considered it an insult to the memories of our deceased colleagues for the government to reopen the toll gate for business — despite refusing to charge a single person for the massacre against young people — whose only crime was to exercise their democratic right to free speech. We were rounded up by hundreds of heavily armed police, beaten on the spot, arrested, and taken to a police station where we were forced to undress and tortured while our hands were tied to our backs.
On the 5th of April, 2021, two RevolutionNow activists, Victor Anene and Emmanuel Larry were arrested in Kogi over protests against the regime. They were not only arrested but beaten severely. They were only released two months later, on the 18th of June, after massive public pressure. In addition, five RevolutionNow activists, Manasseh Ben, Victor Anene, Samuel Gabriels, Emmanuel Larry, and Henry Nwodo were violently arrested by the State Security Service. They were arrested at Dunamis Church, Abuja on the 4th of July. The activists’ only crime was wearing t-shirts printed with ‘Buhari Must Go’. The activists were dragged along the ground to the SSS headquarters before being released a month later on August 3rd, once again due to popular pressure. One of the activists, Samuel Gabriels, is visually impaired. This did not excuse him from torture. The activists informed us of how they were starved for three consecutive days, hung upside down, and beaten mercilessly.
The Nigerian state under the regime of Buhari is completely intolerant to dissent, free speech, and press freedom. It is deploying all state resources into cowing dissent and arresting free speech, while the country reels from poverty, corruption, and terrorism. Activists and journalists have become endangered species under this brutal regime.
As of today, over three hundred endSARS activists unjustly arrested by police since October last year are still languishing in detention. Police brutality and violent extortion have continued unabated.
Despite all attempts to intimidate us to submission, our movement is resolved to ensure we do not submit to the tyranny of this murderous government. We know that news of our fate is barely heard by the world, and we implore the international community for help.
