The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have arrested a musician and campaigner of the #EndSARS protests, Eromosele Adene, for planning a demonstration in the country’s commercial city, Lagos State, at the weekend.
Local reports said about 15 policemen stormed his house on Adeleke Street in the Allen area of Ikeja, the Lagos capital, to arrest him.
It would be recalled that youths across the West African nation had last month taken to the streets in protests against a rogue police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The SARS – now disbanded – was accused of gross brutality, extortion, extrajudicial killing, rape, among others.
Two weeks into the protests soldiers allegedly fired on peaceful protesters, who were waving the country’s green, white, green flag and singing the nation’s anthem, at the Lekki Roundabout in Lagos State.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had told all police formations across the country to ensure that there were no more protests across the nation, a move which activists say is at variance with the constitution.
However, Adene and others had planned to hold a protest on Saturday and had distributed fliers to the effect which contained his phone number. Local reports said his number was tracked by the policemen and he was subsequently arrested.
Following his arrest Adene was reportedly taken before the Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, and then transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti before being taken to Area F, Ikeja.
On Monday, his sister – Onomene – was also reported to have said the musician-cum-activist had been transferred from Lagos to Abuja by the police.
The Nigerian government had last week begun a clampdown on persons involved in the #EndSARS protest. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) froze 20 bank accounts belonging to persons involved in the protest while the Nigeria Immigration Service stopped one of such protesters, Modupe Odele, from leaving the country and seized her passport.
