Activists and civil society organisations under the banner of Free Nigeria Movement have staged a protest to the entrance to the State House, Aso Villa, demanding the release of citizens who are unlawfully detained in prison for political reasons by the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Reading from a statement jointly signed by Adebayo Raphael and Ariyo Dare-Atoye, Dare-Atoye noted that human rights abuses, clampdown on free press, conscienceless assaults on the judiciary, and obscene display of executive recklessness were fast becoming the order of the day across the country.

He said: “Today, we rise as Nigerians to say enough is enough. We rise to say these tyrannical attacks on democracy, activists, media, the judiciary, the legislature and the people cannot continue. We rise in defence of our nation and in condemnation of the assaults on our collective freedom.

“The increasing human rights abuses and the violations of rights to free assembly, association, and free speech, have made our civic spaces to become highly corrosive. For speaking truth to power, our brother Deji Adeyanju, a leading civil rights activist has been illegally detained for over 40 days in a Kano prison over a trumped-up charge. Truly, we are back to the Abacha days.

“We march today, demanding for the immediate release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Nigeria. We march today, demanding for an immediate end to the siege on the media, judiciary and legislature."

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