Omoyele Sowore, human rights activist and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has promised that more protests are imminent following his brief detention by the Nigerian Immigration Service at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Sunday. Sowore, who had just returned from the United States, announced that his passport was seized upon arrival, a move he described as part of the government’s broader crackdown on dissent.
In a post on X.com, Sowore explained, “I had just arrived in Nigeria from the USA at MMIA in Lagos; upon reaching Nigerian Immigration, my passport was seized, and they told me they had orders to detain me. This is not unexpected because I have always known that it is part of the broader clampdown by the fascist regime on dissent and their fear of the upcoming #FearlessInOctober revolt.”
Sowore was released shortly after, to the cheers of supporters who had gathered to protest his detention at the airport. Speaking later on Arise TV, he addressed plans for the “FearlessInOctober” protest set to begin on October 1, 2024, describing it as a continuation of nationwide actions against bad governance, which began with the #EndBadGovernance protests in August.
He said, “There were 15 demands that the government did not even attend to. Instead, the Federal Government arrested and detained a lot of people, charging them with bogus offences like treason for merely carrying placards. This is going to be a continuation of that.”
Mobilisation for the October protests, Sowore explained, has been ongoing since the end of the August demonstrations, which saw widespread public dissatisfaction with the government’s policies and handling of the economy. “Everybody is aware, the government is aware of this. Everybody is looking forward to it because it’s a matter of right that Nigerians have to not allow this government to obliterate them with hunger, starvation, and incompetence.”
Sowore expressed no fear of further arrests or charges, noting his long history of resistance to government oppression. “It is treason to arrest, detain, and forcibly charge citizens with crimes that the government committed,” he said, recalling his first treason accusation in 1992 during his activism at the University of Lagos and subsequent charges under the Buhari regime in 2019.
Sowore pointed to the irony that President Bola Tinubu himself was once accused of treason in 1994 by the Abacha regime, forcing him into exile. “In our case, we are not going to go on exile simply because the government is afraid of our package,” he added defiantly.
The AAC, through its National Publicity Secretary Adeyeye Olorunfemi, condemned Sowore’s detention as an “unwarranted act of intimidation.” In a statement, Olorunfemi criticised the Bola Tinubu administration’s growing intolerance of opposition voices. “We demand that the regime channel its energy and resources towards addressing the crippling economic hardship inflicted upon Nigerians by its detrimental policies, rather than silencing opposition voices.”
The AAC vowed to resist any further attempts to harass or arrest its leaders and called for the release of protesters still detained following the August #EndBadGovernance demonstrations. As October approaches, the protests look set to escalate, with Sowore and his supporters standing firm in their demand for justice and reform.
