Former Senate President Adolphus Wabara has publicly condemned the actions of security operatives during Monday’s #FreeNnamdiKanuNow peaceful rally in Abuja and demanded the immediate release of all protesters arrested. Speaking out against the use of teargas canisters against citizens, Wabara also frowned upon the alleged manhandling of a journalist covering the event, whose camera was reportedly broken by security operatives.
The former Senate President described the intimidation and arrest of peaceful protesters as a serious dent on Nigeria’s global image, urging President Ahmed Tinubu to immediately call the security agencies to order. Wabara warned that the detention of high-profile individuals, including Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, will only serve to aggravate the already tense security situation across the South East region. He argued that holding a peaceful protest is a fundamental right of citizens, stressing that the police are required by law to provide protection for demonstrators, not to clamp down on them. Wabara then took aim at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government, which he accused of using intimidation and brute force against dissenting voices despite being a product of protests itself. “Why is the APC that came to power through protests suddenly scared of protests? Muzzling dissenting voices and opposition is a prelude to dictatorship. This is certainly not the democracy we yearned for!” he stated. He concluded by referencing past protests, adding: “The scars of #EndSARS will always remain a sad memorial for the APC which exploited propaganda and protests to oust the PDP in 2015.”
