#EndSARS: Police arrest activist over her cuss words against Tinubu, Egbetokun

The police have arrested Olamide Thomas, a female nurse and activist, over remarks she made in a live Facebook video, which included curses directed at the children of President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

The video was streamed on 20 October, shortly after she was reportedly brutalised by police officers during the #EndSARS memorial procession at the Lekki Tollgate.

She expressed deep grievances, invoking divine power and issuing severe condemnations directed at Mr Tinubu, Mr Egbetokun, and the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi. Made in her moment of pain and sense of injustice by the police, her remarks included curses foretelling loss and tragedy against them.

The distressed activist was seen in the video pleading with bystanders to pour water on her head, seemingly after inhaling teargas.

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PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Ms Thomas, an activist, who inhaled teargas during the memorial protest on 20 October, was arrested at dawn in Shomolu Lagos State on Friday by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team, a special tactical squad that works under the Inspector General of Police.

Ms Thomas was thereafter taken to Panti police station in Lagos and the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja.

Her alleged offences are still not clear.

The police were said to have trailed her to her home through her uncle who was arrested and detained earlier on Thursday.

Earlier in November, her Facebook friend Lanre Shotunde was arrested and detained by the police in a bid to get to her.

The IRT team arrested Mr Shotunde in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on 6 November and took him to the Sango Ota Police Station on the same day. He was released on the night of 7 November.

#EndSARS memorial

On 20 October, police reportedly arrested about 23 activists who had gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the #EndSARS protest. Officers initially dispersed the crowd using teargas before detaining the activists and transporting them in a Black Maria to Panti Police Station in Yaba, where they were held.

The date marks the tragic events of 20 October 2020, when Nigerian security forces, particularly the Army, opened fire on peaceful protesters at the tollgate, which had become the epicentre of the dayslong #EndSARS movement against police brutality. Many were injured or killed during the incident.

Since then, 20 October has been observed by Nigerians to honour the victims and reflect on the struggle against police highhandedness and systemic governance issues. However, the police have consistently blocked #EndSARS memorial gatherings at the site each year.”

How she was arrested – Socialist group

The Socialist Workers League (SWL) “vehemently condemned” what it described as “the abduction of nurse Olamide by officers of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) from her home.”

The group stated that Ms Thomas is a member and belongs to the Take It Back movement, led by Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters.

Sharing more insights into her arrest, SWL in a statement by its chairperson, Kunle Ajayi, said Ms Thomas was earlier forced into hiding a month ago “when it came to light that she was a person of interest for the IGP for her criticism of police brutality and corruption”.

“As a matter of fact, the NPF was only able to track her down by arresting her uncle yesterday under false pretences purporting to settle a business dispute. He was kept in detention till 4:30 a.m. this morning when he was coerced to lead them to her exact location at her home residence. In an earlier attempt to arrest her some weeks back, one of her colleagues as well had been arrested through the police infiltration of a WhatsApp group. But he did not know her residence. This gestapo-like approach of the police is unacceptable,” the statement added.

The statement characterised the sequence of events leading to her arrest as emblematic of police brutality and arbitrary detentions, which are often carried out with impunity across the country.

It said her “abduction” by the police “is just the latest example of this trend, highlighting the police’s “willingness to use violence and intimidation to silence those who dare to challenge the system”.

Mr Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), condemned Ms Thomas’ arrest in a post on his X handle.

“This is completely unacceptable and will be resisted. The police must release her immediately,” Mr Sowore wrote.

The police could not be reached for comments, Ben Hundeyin, the spokesperson for the Lagos police, did not answer his calls on Friday afternoon and has not responded to text messages sent to him via SMS and WhatsApp.