We’ll sue Tinubu Govt for attacking, arresting, detaining, slain #EndBadGovernance protesters, Sowore vows

When questioned about the number of protesters killed and arrested during the demonstration, Omoyele Sowore stated that the organisers have confirmed that 17 people were fatally shot by the Nigeria Police Force.

Omoyele Sowore, human rights activist and Convener of the #RevolutionNow Movement, has announced that organisers of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests will take legal action against the Nigerian government.

This decision comes after peaceful protesters faced attacks, killings, arrests, and detentions by police and other security agencies during the 10-day nationwide demonstration against hunger, hardship, and bad governance under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the Africa Action Congress (AAC), urged the President Tinubu-led government to address their demands.

When questioned about the number of protesters killed and arrested during the demonstration, Omoyele Sowore stated that the organisers have confirmed that 17 people were fatally shot by the Nigeria Police Force.

This contradicts the assertion made by Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, during a joint security press briefing, where he denied any records of police officers killing protesters.

Sowore’s account directly challenges the IGP’s claim, highlighting a discrepancy in the reported casualty figures.

Egbetokun further claimed that the Nigeria Police Force did not deploy officers armed with rifles and live ammunition, nor did they use excessive force against protesters, except for teargas smoke, which was used to disperse the crowds.

But Sowore said, “So far, we know of 17 persons murdered in cold blood by the Nigeria Police Force.

“We know of a police officer who was killed by a fellow policeman who rammed a water cannons armoured carrier into his van in Katsina State and an immigration officer who shot himself accidentally in Borno State.

“We will never forget those who have put themselves in the line of fire for the country; those who have been killed, maimed, or injured simply because they came out to exercise their constitutional right to protest peacefully.