The Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM), organisers of the proposed ‘revolution’ march, vowed on Saturday to forge ahead with the plan regardless of the arrest of the arrowhead of the march, Omoyele Sowore.

Sowore was arrested at his Lagos residence early on Saturday by suspected personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The organiSation has not owned up to the arrest.

But Police Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu said yesterday that the march, scheduled for tomorrow, has ‘treasonable felony and acts of terrorism’ written all over it.

He warned the organisers to shelve their plan.

But the group insisted on going ahead.

It condemned Sowore’s arrest and called for his immediate release.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Amnesty International (AI) were joined by other groups in deploring the arrest.

The National Publicity Secretary of the NIM, Olusegun Obe, said in a statement yesterday that the project remained on course.

He said: “Third Force Movement of Nigeria under the umbrella of the Nigeria Intervention Movement, wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the planned nationwide mass protests against bad political system and malgovernance (sic) in Nigeria tagged “#Revolution Now!” starting on Monday, August 5, 2019.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this historic nationwide revolutionary action initiated by Nigerian masses and youths is purely aimed at overthrowing the corrupt and warped political system being operated by the country as well as changing the oppressive ruling class in Nigeria.

“Therefore, we have directed all our members, allies and supporters in the Third Force Movement, especially of the Nigeria Intervention Movement, Alliance for Defence of Democracy and some revolutionary political parties to join and support the historic mass action for a new Nigeria as already endorsed by icons like Prof Wole Soyinka, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili among others

“It is for this reason that we condemn in unequivocal stance the subversive arrest and detention of one of the key facilitators of #Revolution Now!, Sowore Omoyele; the Leader of the Take-It-Back Movement, who was forcefully abducted in his home around 1.25 a.m. today, Saturday (yesterday) and whisked away to an unknown destination

“We hereby demand from the Nigerian Presidency and its witch-hunting Department of State Security apparatus, the immediate release of Omoyele Sowore, as his continued incarceration will not deter our forces and cadres from embarking on the planned mass action against the oppressors of Nigerians on Monday as earlier scheduled.”

•Excerpted from a report from The Nation.

Update news