CSOS WARN AGAINST TURNING COURT PREMISES INTO PROTEST GROUNDS

***Insists on Sowore’s prosecution

A coalition of civil society organisations under the aegis of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Good Governance in Nigeria has warned against turning court premises into venues for political protests, insisting that activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, should face prosecution through due legal process.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the coalition’s Director of Programmes, Johnson Michael, said while citizens have a constitutional right to peaceful assembly, judicial premises must not be converted into arenas for political confrontation or activities capable of disrupting court proceedings.

According to the group, any individual facing legal proceedings should submit to the judicial process rather than mobilise supporters to stage protests around court facilities.

The group urged the Inspector-General of Police, Service Chiefs, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the National Security Adviser and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure that the rule of law is upheld.

It maintained that Sowore should appear before a competent court to answer the allegations against him, arguing that no Nigerian should be above the law.

“If Professor Pat Utomi could appear before the appropriate authorities, if coup plotters have stood before the law, and if SERAP has responded to legal processes, then Sowore is not above the law. Let him appear before a competent court and answer the charges levelled against him,” Michael said.

The coalition declared that if Sowore and his supporters organise demonstrations within or around court premises, it would mobilise its members to stage what it described as peaceful and lawful counter-demonstrations in defence of the rule of law.

“Sowore does not have a monopoly on public protest. He does not own the streets of Nigeria. Court premises must not be turned into arenas for political confrontation or activities capable of disrupting judicial proceedings.

“Should Sowore and his supporters mobilise protests within or around court premises, we reserve the right to organise peaceful and lawful demonstrations in response. We will stand there peacefully, lawfully, and firmly for the Nigeria we believe”, it added.

It also commended President Tinubu and the nation’s security agencies for ongoing efforts to tackle insecurity, particularly measures aimed at strengthening the military and improving the welfare of personnel.

The coalition urged Nigerians to support the government’s efforts to address insecurity, warning against what it described as the politicisation of security challenges.

It added that safeguarding national security and respecting judicial institutions were collective responsibilities necessary for sustaining peace, democracy and the rule of law in the country.