Police Lay Siege To CDHR Premises, Venue Of Pro-Sowore Protest

 

About 50 policemen in 10 trucks have surrounded the premises of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) in Adeniyi Jones area of Ikeja in Lagos.

A protest demanding the released of Omoyele Sowore has been scheduled to take place at the venue at 10am on Wednesday.

Sowore, candidate of the African Action Congress in the last presidential election,  has been detained since August by the Department of State Services (DSS) who accused him of threatening public peace with the #RevolutionNow protest.

A CDHR official who does not want to be named told TheCable the security operatives have been at the premises since 7am.

“We didn’t invite them. This is just a peaceful protest and we don’t know why they are here in their numbers,” he said.

This is happening just as policemen and soldiers blocked the entrance to the office of SaharaReporters, an online publication founded by Sowore.

The armed men prevented reporters from gaining access to the building located at GRA in Ikeja.

A member of staff of the organisation who spoke off the record told TheCable that the security agents had been there since 7am.

As of 10:30am, more armed policemen have been deployed in the CDHR premises.

When contacted, Bala Elkana, the Lagos police command spokesperson, said he was not aware of the deployment.

“I don’t have the brief,” he told TheCable.

It is not clear if the planned protest will take place as only a few protesters had arrived at the venue.

“They cannot stop us,” one of the protesters told TheCable.

“We May have to restrategise, and probably change venue. But of course, we know they will still come after us.”

In August, some #RevolutionNow protesters were arrested and while some injured after security operatives opened fire on them.