President Bola Tinubu has been urged to “urgently rein in” his Special Adviser on communications and Strategy Mr. Bayo Onanuga, “before he does irreparable damage to the constitutional democracy and freedoms that we worked so hard to put in place.”

Accusing Bayo Onanuga of acting as the “communications militant” and not just an “attack dog” of President Tinubu’s government, the Human Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) on Thursday condemned “the open threats made by Mr. Onanuga on Sunday against the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress when he arrogantly warned the Nigeria Labour Congress not to embark on its two-day nationwide protest against the rising cost of living in the country.”

It noted that, “Also, the police warned against disruption of commercial activities during the protest, which coincided with the warning made by Bayo Onanuga which established a working partnership between the President's communications strategist and armed security forces.”

The rights group said it wasn't therefore all together strange, when suspected armed hoodlums were allegedly hurriedly brought into the Federal capital territory to infiltrate the NLC protest and disrupt peace, law and order were it not that the NLC got actionable intelligence and averted what would've been bloody.

HURIWA lamented that the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, and the police handed down the warnings and described the planned peaceful protests by NLC as a “breach of the law” and an “illegal undertaking”.

The rights group noted that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the day-two nationwide protest over hunger and economic hardship was suspended due to alleged threats on the leadership of the Congress.

Reacting to the NLC allegations of threats from agents of the President Tinubu’s government, the rights group through a media statement by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, specifically stated that Onanuga should be investigated over the serious threats that compelled the NLC to suspend the second day of mass protests against economic hardships in Nigeria.

According to HURIWA, “Even to the uninitiated and those without thinking faculties, the evidence-based threats against the NLC were made jointly by the President Tinubu’s information and communication strategist Bayo Onanuga and the police and so it is inevitable that these two persons: Onanuga and the police should be held accountable for using unlawful intimidation and threats to frustrate the free exercise of the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights by the Labour activists”.

HURIWA concluded thus: “We view this increasing verbal militancy by Mr. Onanuga and the alleged procurement of armed Lagos hoodlums to physically attack protesters, are very dangerous threats against constitutional democracy. The president must call these persons to order before their actions will precipitate a mass revolution in Nigeria because if government officials are suspected of employing unlawful means to stop citizens from protesting peacefully against economic hardships, it is therefore inevitable that government is sending open invitation to anarchy and lawlessness on the part of the oppressed hoi poloi because he who stops peaceful change, is calling for violent revolution. The earlier the better that Onanuga's unguarded verbal militancy and sabre rattling are checked.”

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