Omoyele Sowore, one of the prominent leaders of the #FearlessInOctober protest, has outlined the key demands of the demonstrators, urging immediate action from the federal government.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday during the protest in Lagos, Sowore called for the release of all protesters detained during both the #EndBadGovernance protest two months ago and the #EndSARS protest of 2020.
He insisted that the government should free these detainees by the end of the day, emphasizing that failure to meet their demands would result in further action, which would be announced later.
“We are demanding that the Federal Government release every protester in detention, whether in Kaduna, Abuja, Katsina, or Kano. They should be freed today,” Sowore stated.
“If by the end of today, the government does not release the #EndBadGovernance and #EndSARS protesters, we will unveil the next course of action.”
Sowore, a human rights activist and politician, went on to describe the protest as a fight for a new kind of independence, different from what Nigeria achieved in 1960. He explained that while the 1960 independence was about liberation from colonial rule, this movement is focused on freeing citizens from the grip of the ruling elite, who he accused of corruption and exploitation.
“We are now fighting for independence from those who have deliberately made life unbearable for Nigerians, the looters and corrupt cabals in the oil sector and other areas,” he said.
Sowore further linked the protest to the larger movement he began in 2019 with the Revolution Now campaign, asserting that only a revolution can bring about the change Nigeria desperately needs. “The independence we are fighting for now is a continuation of what we started with Revolution Now. We believe that only a revolution can save this country,” he concluded when asked about the reasons behind the latest protest.
