The Obidient Movement has threatened nationwide protests following the reported arrest of its Akwa Ibom State Coordinator, Dr Ben Smith, and OK Movement coordinator, Elijah Noah, during a peaceful march in Uyo on Thursday.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by its Media and Communications Directorate and shared on the movement’s official X handle.
According to the statement, the Movement described the arrests as an attack on the fundamental rights of its members to peaceful assembly and political expression.
The statement read in full: “The Obidient Movement strongly condemns the unlawful arrest of the Akwa Ibom State Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Dr Ben Smith, the State Coordinator of the OK Movement, Mr Elijah Noah @ElijahNoah8, and other members of the Obidient Movement by the Nigeria Police @PoliceNG during a peaceful march yesterday.
“Their simple offence was identifying as Obidients, a fundamental human right guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution.
“It is deeply disturbing that in a democratic society, citizens exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly should be met with police intimidation, harassment and arrest.
“This brazen attack on the fundamental rights of citizens is a dangerous assault on democracy and an unacceptable attempt to suppress legitimate political expression.
“The Nigeria Police has once again demonstrated that it only serves the Machiavellian purposes of the criminals in power, and cannot make independent decisions on its own, since it is an appendage of the power-drunk ruining class.
“By surrendering itself as an instrument of political persecution by the APC seeking to silence opposition voices, the police is suspending the Nigerian Constitution and breaking the laws it was instituted to enforce.
“We find it particularly outrageous that a peaceful march should attract such a heavy-handed response from the police. If citizens can no longer assemble peacefully, express their grievances or demonstrate their political convictions without fear of arrest, then our democracy has been officially suspended.
“We hold the APC and the Akwa Ibom State Police Command responsible for this needless provocation and demand the immediate and unconditional release of both state coordinators and all our members in custody, alongside an end to all forms of intimidation and harassment against members of the Obidient Movement and other opposition groups.
“Let it be clearly understood that no amount of intimidation, unlawful arrests or abuse of state institutions will extinguish the determination of Nigerians to demand accountable leadership and a better country. The right to peaceful protest is constitutionally guaranteed and must be respected, irrespective of political affiliation.
“The Obidient Movement will not stand by and watch the fundamental rights of its members trampled upon with impunity. If the authorities continue to ignore our demands and use the police to intimidate peaceful citizens, we will have no choice but to mobilise our members and supporters for wider protests around the country.
“Given the frustration of many Nigerians about how Tinubu and the APC have continued to ruin their lives, we may not be able to guarantee that these same Nigerians will be able to hold back their anger if mobilised to the streets for an overdue protest.
“And if that happens, the responsibility for the consequences of this needless provocation rests squarely with those who choose to violate the law rather than uphold it.
“Let nobody mistake our commitment to peace for weakness or our restraint for surrender. We have every constitutional right to demand what is right, to protest injustice and to hold those in power accountable.
“The police cannot continue to break the very laws they are mandated to enforce and expect Nigerians to remain silent. We demand the immediate release of our coordinators and an end to this harassment. The authorities must act now before their own actions deepen public anger and create a situation that could have been entirely avoided.
“Democracy cannot survive where peaceful protesters are treated as criminals. The APC and the Nigeria Police must end this foolish provocation immediately.”
Obidient Movement threatens nationwide protests over arrest of Akwa Ibom coordinator