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1:00
As people of Nepal in South Asia country
1:02
took to the streets in an unprecedented
1:04
manner to protest an end to corruption
1:06
and bad leadership in the country during
1:09
the week after a short-lived ban on
1:11
social media by the Nepalese government,
1:13
Nigeria secret police known as
1:16
Department of State Security Services.
1:18
DSS appeared to have doubled efforts
1:20
apparently to avert the unpleasant Nepal
1:23
situation in the West Africa country. a
1:26
situation where some politicians in the
1:28
South Asia country tasted the bitter
1:31
side of their citizens like never
1:33
before. This the DSS has appeared to be
1:36
on the neck of exocial media management
1:38
to ensure the deletion of a post tweeted
1:41
by the founder of Sahare reporters news
1:43
media and a well-known anti-government
1:46
critic Amle Saware that allegedly
1:48
described the Nigeria president Bola
1:51
Ahmed Tonubu as a criminal. A statement
1:53
Sari made in reaction to the words of
1:56
President Bola Ahmed Tonubu over
1:58
corruption in Nigeria while the
2:00
president was on official visit in
2:02
Brazil. The DSS said Saware
2:04
misrepresented the president's statement
2:06
and as such the supporters of the
2:08
president are not happy over it. Hence
2:11
the security service demanded a
2:13
retracted publication from Saware. But
2:16
in a swift reaction, Amyle declined and
2:19
accused the DSS of always acting
2:21
illegally. In a letter written during
2:23
the week and addressed to the director
2:25
general of the department of state
2:27
services, Omiell said, "I acknowledge
2:30
receipt of your letter which you
2:32
stealthily dumped with a security guard
2:34
at the office of my attorneys in Abuja
2:36
addressed to Abu Bakr Marshall. I find
2:39
your horrendous attempt at holding an
2:41
unwarranted brief for the president not
2:43
only insidious but fundamentally
2:45
defective, flawed in principle and
2:48
absolutely unlawful. The State Security
2:51
Service was not created as a security
2:53
institution. The SSS, now self-styled as
2:57
the DSS, began as the E Department
3:01
Special Branch, an office established in
3:03
1948 and initially located in the office
3:06
of the Inspector General of Police. It
3:09
was later renamed the National Security
3:11
Organization, NSO. But on June 5th,
3:14
1986, the federal military government
3:17
issued decree number 19, dissolving the
3:20
NSO and unbundling it into three
3:22
entities. The SSS for domestic
3:24
intelligence, the NIA for external
3:27
intelligence and counter intelligence,
3:29
and the DIA for military related
3:30
intelligence. While the NIA and DIA
3:34
largely kept faith with their mandates,
3:36
the SSS under successive director
3:38
generals has consistently acted
3:40
bullishly, illegally, and unlawfully,
3:43
serving as a ready tool of oppression
3:45
for dictatorial regimes bent on breaking
3:47
rules and repressing the rights of the
3:49
Nigerian people. Thus, it is no surprise
3:53
that you have once again resumed
3:54
repressive hostility against me. In
3:59
while I was student union president at
4:01
the University of Lagos, policemen
4:03
abducted me from the university gate
4:06
during a peaceful pro-democracy protest.
4:09
I was taken to your Lagos office after
4:11
being driven around with my head tucked
4:13
under a seat. From our low way in a koi,
4:17
I was detained unlawfully for weeks at
4:19
the notorious inter center near a koi
4:21
cemetery. It took several days of
4:23
lecture boycotts to force your hand to
4:26
release me without charges. Again, in
4:29
January and June 1996, during and after
4:32
my National Youth Service Corps in Yola,
4:35
Adamawa State, your men detained me and
4:37
later transferred me to the Nigerian Air
4:40
Force Base where I was held in hand and
4:42
leg chains for over a week before
4:44
release again without charges. My NYSC
4:48
discharge certificate has been denied to
4:50
me to this day because of your unlawful
4:53
detention. In August 2019, the SS agents
4:57
invaded my hotel room, abducted me, and
5:00
detained me for months over trumped up
5:02
allegations of treasonable felony, money
5:05
laundering, and cyber crime. It was your
5:08
first attempt to falsely accuse me of
5:10
insulting a sitting president. That
5:13
failed as did every other false
5:15
accusation advanced against me by the
5:17
government through the SSS and police.
5:20
During that period, you flouted several
5:22
court judgments. Most disgracefully,
5:25
your men invaded a federal high court
5:27
presided by Justice Hijuk to abduct me
5:30
even after bail conditions were met. To
5:33
this day, you continue to refuse to obey
5:36
two court judgments ordering the return
5:38
of my confiscated properties, including
5:41
several mobile phones and payment of
5:43
damages. You and your ilk have dragged
5:46
me through unscrupulous abuse and gross
5:48
violations of rights for decades without
5:50
remorse. In 2021, during the inglorious
5:54
Boohhari years, your agency propped up a
5:57
sham group, the incorporated trustees of
5:59
global integrity crusade network to sue
6:02
Sahara reporters and me on behalf of the
6:04
criminally minded attorney general of
6:06
the federation, Abu Bakar Malami San.
6:10
They prayed the court to compel me and
6:12
others to pay Malamy 2 billion naira for
6:14
alleged trauma and emotional stress
6:17
caused by Sahara reporters publications
6:19
in July 2020. In his judgment, Justice
6:23
Aiora Euatu awarded 100,000 naira
6:26
against the litigants affirming the
6:28
argument of our attorney Marshall Abu
6:31
Bakr that they had no right to sue on
6:33
Malami's behalf just as you have no
6:35
right to act as proxy for President Bola
6:38
Ahmed Tubu. Defamation, the judge
6:41
reminded, is a personal tor. The AGF
6:44
should have gone to court himself if he
6:46
felt defamed. It is elementary that only
6:49
the person defamed can sue. Therefore,
6:52
your attempt to demand a retraction is
6:54
an incompetent and unlawful attempt to
6:56
hold the president's brief. Section 22
7:00
of the 1999 Constitution requires the
7:03
press to uphold the government's
7:04
responsibility and accountability to the
7:07
people. Section 39 guarantees every
7:10
citizen the right to freedom of
7:11
expression, to hold opinions, and to
7:14
receive and impart information without
7:17
Article 9 of the African Charter on
7:20
human and people's rights provides the
7:22
same. Even in the UK, sedition and liel
7:25
laws have been repealed as archaic
7:27
relics of a bygone era. The UN human
7:30
rights committee in general comment
7:32
number 34 has declared a free uncensored
7:36
media essential to democracy. Courts
7:38
across Africa including Zimbabwe's
7:41
Supreme Court and the African court in
7:43
Isaakate versus Bikina Faso have ruled
7:46
that criminal defamation is
7:48
unjustifiable in a democracy. Nigeria's
7:51
own court of appeal in Arthur Nweno
7:54
versus state 1985 struck down sedition
7:57
laws when Nwango was convicted for
7:59
criticizing Governor Jim in Wubodo. The
8:02
court held that sedition was
8:04
unconstitutional and enimical to free
8:06
speech. Justice Adake in IGP versusP
8:12
asked how long Nigerians must suffer
8:14
under colonial era public order
8:16
ordinances designed to gag descent.
8:19
Criticism is indispensable in a
8:21
democracy. Freedom of speech includes
8:23
the right to say what those in power
8:27
Justice Olawura reminded us that
8:29
citizens must defend their hard one
8:31
freedom of expression and that those in
8:34
public office must not be intolerant of
8:36
criticism. Where boundaries are crossed,
8:39
the remedy is civil liel, not unlawful
8:41
repression. The DSS's desire to please
8:45
the powers that be has always destroyed
8:47
institutions while building strong men.
8:50
But where are those strong men today?
8:52
After your service broke laws and
8:54
trampled rights to protect them rather
8:57
than vilification, we should be
8:59
commended for living up to our
9:01
constitutional responsibility to hold
9:03
leaders accountable. I am glad you made
9:06
reference to my constant desire to seek
9:08
change, the very drive that led me to
9:10
run for the position of president of the
9:12
Federal Republic of Nigeria. Even though
9:15
my commitments and convictions predate
9:17
partisan political endeavors, it is from
9:20
that same line of conviction that I have
9:23
adopted an uncompromising stance,
9:25
ensuring that this country does not
9:27
continue down the path of pedition. You
9:30
have no business telling me how to
9:32
criticize the president. But knowing the
9:34
nature of your service, it is clear you
9:37
have not learned your lessons. Let me
9:39
state it clearly once again. The
9:42
determination of the Nigerian people to
9:44
reclaim their country from thieves in
9:46
power is unwavering and it shall be
9:48
achieved. Freedom cometh by struggle.
9:51
Aluta continuer Victoria asserta yours
9:55
in unwavering service to Nigeria. Amy
9:58
Saware, former presidential candidate,
10:01
African Action Congress, AAC, stated
10:07
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