#FreeSowore Protests Hold In UK, Italy As Buhari Prevents Rally In Nigeria

Supporters of Omoyele Sowore, a presidential candidate in the 2019 general election in Nigeria, are currently holding a protest at the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom and the Nigerian Consulate in Italy to demand his release from the President Muhammadu Buhari regimeSowore was illegally arrested by the Department of State Services on August 3, 2019, and has since been detained.The protest was part of the global action scheduled to demand the release of Sowore, an activist and publisher.While the protest is going on peacefully in Italy and UK, Buhari, not a fan of press freedom, ordered a clampdown on protesters in Nigeria who are demanding the release of Sowore and all prisoners of conscience.Similar actions held in the past were disrupted with the police firing tear gas and gunshots at protesters.One of the protesters in Italy condemned the inability of Buhari and the security operatives to end wanton violence in the country.The protesters vowed to continue the protest until Sowore was freed.'We are going to be here again, we cannot relent and we cannot leave Omoyele Sowore alone. He is the voice of the voiceless. If people who are oppressed do not stand up to fight for their rights, nobody is going to do that for us. Today it is Sowore, tomorrow, it might be any of us,' one of the organisers of the protest said.Similarly, the protesters in the UK condemned the continuous detention of Sowore and other activists detained for political reasons.The protesters stated that the lack of basic amenities in the country was enough reasons to organize a protest while urging Buhari to let the electorate enjoy the dividends of democracy.'Is it a crime to ask the Nigerian Federal government to do what they have been elected to do for the people'' One of the protesters asked.He added, 'The government are there to serve the people that is why we are asking for good road, good (stable) electricity, and good schools so that our future generations can enjoy basic amenities as there are in other countries.'Nigerians are being killed in xenophobic attack in South Africa because the Nigerian government doesn't have regard for the citizens that voted them in power.'We are calling on the Nigerian government to free Omoyele Sowore now and every other political prisoners that have been held in captivity."The protesters urged Nigerians at home and abroad to continue to hold the government accountable and demand improvement in the running of the country.ACTIVISMHuman RightsPoliticsNewsAddThis:Original Author:SaharaReporters, New YorkDisable advertisements:
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