State repression of protests continued today as well as unbowed resistance, with the brutalisation, arrest and release of 22 #EndSARSMemorial activists at the Lekki tollgate this morning.
These activists, who include members of the Socialist Workers League (SWL), the Take It Back (TIB) movement and other groups were held at the Panti police station for exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly. Their release was secured by a team of TIB lawyers led by Inibehe Effiong.
SWL, TIB, Enough is Enough (EiE) the Coalition for Revolution (CORE) and some other groups across the country have jointly commemorated the #EndSARS Rebellion every year since 2021 as the EndSARS United. Apart from the series of week-long annual #EndSARSMemorial activities, the group has also worked assiduously and with significant success in securing the release of scores of #EndSARS detainees over the last three years.
We have faced attacks from police and state-paid thugs practically every year. But, the repressive measures by the Nigerian state this is particularly despicable. This is the first #EndSARS anniversary during the regime of President Bola Tinubu. It is yet another confirmation of his draconian, anti-poor people policies and politics. While they released those arrested today, it shows that we need to increase our efforts to resist Tinubu’s tyrannical rule under the APC, intensify the struggle for the release of those still in custody, and fight against capitalist policies that are causing hunger in the country. Thus, we demand:
- immediate release of hundreds of people still being held in different parts of the country for participating in the protests against bad governance on 1-10 August.
- release of all #EndSARS detainees still languishing in jail, many of them with spurious charges
- an end to all anti-poor people neoliberal policies that are making life so hard for the working masses.
Kunle ‘Wizeman’ Ajayi (National Chairperson) & Amara Nwosu (National Secretary)
