Workers Rights Campaign condemns the remanding of Nurse Thomas Olamide until 30 December, after an unjustified and draconian arrest and detention in the first place.
The Nigeria state with its institutions for coercion, oppression and victimization has further shown that our laws are anti-people and are deemed to be so with the display and arrogance in remanding Nurse Thomas Olamide in Prison until December, 30th on frivolous terms today.
Nurse Olamide joined the peaceful protest to commemorate the 4th Year anniversary of the EndSARS, where young people were attacked and maimed by the Nigerian State, on 20 October 2020. The protest which was dispersed by the Nigeria police with tear gas and sporadic shooting in a bid to intimidate the peaceful protesters. In the process Nurse Olamide was physically assaulted in a video that was widely circulated all over media channels. She was bloodied in the attack and out of the depths of pain, cursed the authorities who had done this to her and were also bringing so much pain to the masses.
The case of Nurse Olamide is a testament of how the people are being brazenly brutalised and yet expected to keep quiet by the ruling class. it is a case of beating a child and telling the child how and when to cry.
But earlier today, the police chief in a most shameful and distasteful manner was arguing that it amounts to Cyberbullying when a citizen by way of expressing frustration, hopelessness and deprivation as a result of physical assault or economic deprivation rains curses on people who they elect into public offices.
The police chief should be dismissed forthwith from that office that according to law was suppose to protect the lives of its citizen, but this charade of barbarism calls for immediate attention, by all standards of civility, the police chief needs to be remanded for gross misrepresentation of the rule of law.
The Nigeria Judiciary as yet another arm of the oppressive state, continues to be used as a pawn to carry out this blatant disregard for human dignity, by crucifying the tenets of fundamental human rights which freedom of expression, right to hold one’s own opinion, right to freedom association is been criminalized.
The Tinubu regime with all its facade of hope and wishful aspirations which for over the period under review has not translated into anything meaningful for working people but rather the regime is busy accumulating and depriving Nigerians a decent life in all spheres.
We therefore call the labour movement civil rights groups in Nigeria and across the world to demand for the immediate release of Nurse Thomas Olamide, who has been remanded in prison for a crime as “cursing”.
Ayemhenre Kelvin
National Coordinator
Lai Brown
National Secretary
20 December 2024
