Sowore: Organizers Of #EndBadGovernance Protest To Sue FG Over Death Of Protesters

By Akinwale Kasali

Omoyele Sowore, one of the organisers of the #EndBadGovernance Protest has revealed plans to sue the Federal Government over the killings of protesters during the protests.

The protest aimed, according to the organisers, to draw attention to the hunger, suffering and bad governance in the land started on August 1, and ended on August 10, 2024.

It was planned to be peaceful, the Organisers had assured. But it was an assurance the Federal Government was skeptical about. The Government had expressed concern that the protest could be hijacked by hoodlums and reduced to violence and looting and deaths.

True to the concern of Government,

the 10-day protest turned violent in some States, in the North.

It led to the torching of Government and private offices and businesses and residences. It led to massive looting in both public and private offices, businesses, and private residences.

Ultimately, it led to deaths on the side of protesters, especially those caught looting, and on the side of Security Agents who tried to make sure the protest was peaceful as assured.

But Sowore, a former Presidential Candidate, resident in the United States of America, stated that the Government was the first to escalate the protests into violence which then led to the death and wanton destruction of government and private properties in some States.

In an interview with The Punch Newspaper, Sowore stated that 17 persons were murdered in “cold blood” by the Nigeria Police Force.

Speaking emphatically, he said: “We know of a Police Officer who was killed by a fellow policeman who rammed a water cannon armoured carrier into his van in Katsina State and an immigration officer who shot himself accidentally in Borno State.”

He expressed deep sorrow for those who lost their lives or were injured while exercising their constitutional right to protest peacefully.

He emphasized that the government was the first to bring violence to the demonstrations, using water cannons on peaceful protesters in Kano and firing bullets at protesters who were armed only with placards. So, he said:

“We will seek legal redress for the government’s actions on behalf of these unjustly attacked and detained compatriots, and we will never forget. One day, everyone who has committed these egregious crimes against the Nigerian people will be made to face the consequences of their crimes and the appropriate legal consequences for their actions.”

Addressing the issue of looting and vandalism both of which occurred during the protests, Sowore noted that the organisers had called for a non-violent protest and urged participants to avoid violence.

He also argued that the Government’s heavy-handed response initiated the violence, with security agencies using water cannons, tear gas, and live bullets against unarmed protesters.