Activists under the umbrella of the Revolutionary Socialist Movement have faulted the Nigerian government over the deactivation of the international passport, permanent voter card, national identity card, and driver’s licence of the National Chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore had on Wednesday raised the alarm on his social media platforms of the deactivation of his passport, voter card, national identity card, and driver’s licence and other means of identification by the Federal Government.
The group in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Salako Kayode, on Thursday in Abuja described the action as violation of Sowore’s rights.
The statement reads, “We are shocked by the recent bizarre attack on him by the Buhari regime: Mr Omoyele Sowore’s passport, voter card, national identity card, and driver’s license were deactivated on the country’s electronic biometrical system. Sowore can no longer use any of these cards for any transactions within or outside the country. This is an outrageous attack and a gross violation of most basic human and democratic rights.
“This attack is another one out of many that have been carried against him since his arrest in August 2019. These attacks include: restricting him to Abuja for over two years now; sponsoring thugs to attack him at court premises on different occasions; even firing shots at him as was the case in May last year when a police officer shot at Sowore during a protest at Unity Fountain; the list is endless. Now they’ve essentially ‘de-citizenised’ Sowore.
“It appears that the Buhari regime and its cohorts have forgotten they’re elected and must be answerable to opposition voices. What is becoming clear is that they are determined to try to crash every opposition voice and every activist who raises their voice against the regime, for human and democratic rights, and in the interests of the laboring masses, the youth, and the poor.”
