The Washington post released an article condemning Muhammadu Buhari today over the continued detention of Sahara Reporter's Omoyele sowore. See article below:

With the arrest of a prominent journalist, Nigeria’s Buhari is up to his old tricks

Political strongmen would have you believe they’re tough as nails, but they always turn out to have very thin skin.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari likes to call himself a “converted democrat.” At least that’s what he said during his 2015 presidential run, when he was attempting to re-brand himself as a reformer after a long career built on repression.

Yet dictatorial habits have proved hard to give up. When Buhari ran for president in 2015, it was with the promise of a Nigeria free from the political repression and silencing of dissent that were hallmarks of his tenure as head of state from 1983 to 1985.

Since his reelection earlier this year, matters have only gotten worse for journalists in Nigeria. Perhaps the most outrageous case involves Omoyele Sowore, a prominent journalist and political activist who remains in prison in Abuja, the Nigerian capital — even after a judge last week ordered that he be released on bail. He is being cited, among other things, for “cyberstalking” the president — a bizarre accusation, unless you consider reporting and political commentary a form of predatory behavior. It would seem that Buhari does.

“Across the board, journalists were worried about an escalation of anti-press patterns in a possible second Buhari term,” says Jonathan Rozen, senior Africa researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists. “Unfortunately, they’ve been proven right.”

In a Nov. 7 statement, Femi Felana, Sowore’s lawyer, said that, although bail conditions were “stringent,” his client had met them all. “But in utter contempt of the orders of Justice Ojukwu, the State Security Service has refused to release Sowore.”

Sowore, the founder of the New York-based website Sahara Reporters, is being charged with seven felony counts, including treason and the “cyberstalking” of Buhari. Whatever that means. “In Nigeria, we see repeated attacks against journalists and the use of alleged cyber crimes to silence them,” Rozen told me.

Sowore created Sahara Reporters — which is devoted to political coverage of Nigeria — in 2006. His aim was to bring greater transparency to Nigerian politics. The website is credited with breaking many stories of financial corruption by the state, which is what landed Sowore behind bars this time around. In a media landscape known for being vibrant if heavily influenced by political elites, Sahara Reporters has become one of the key sources for news that exposes official wrongdoing.

Sowore came to the United States in the late 1990s. Before leaving Nigeria, he’d been detained on eight separate occasions for his political activities. After arriving here, he completed a graduate program at Columbia University.

“It is not so much a problem of freedom of speech,” Sowore told the New York Times in 2011, “but freedom after speech. You can say a lot of things in Nigeria, but the question is: Will you still be a free person? Will you still be alive after you freely express yourself?”

This year he returned to run against Buhari in the election. He did not win and instead ended up in prison for being a vocal critic of the state and its policies.

“My husband is not the only journalist in this situation. It’s always the same thing. They’ve taken others for speaking out against corruption,” Opeyemi Sowore, the jailed journalist’s wife, told me. “It’s a disturbing trend when journalists and others who are trying to make the country better are silenced through detention.”

The judge in the case this month set bail at more than $550,000, with additional conditions, barring Omoyele Sowore from speaking to the press, participating in rallies at other political events and barring him from leaving the capital, Abuja.

Sowore was originally set to be released last Wednesday, but his website reported that agents of Nigeria’s secret police blocked court bailiffs from following through on the judge’s order.

His wife and their two children, a 12-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son, who live in the New York area and are all U.S.-born citizens, have not heard from the journalist since August when Opeyemi Sowore did a radio interview here in the United States.

All indications are that Sowore has been held in solitary confinement during the entire period of his detention, which has now passed the three-month mark.

“Since the State Security Service is not above the law of the land, we shall embark on appropriate legal measures to ensure compliance with the court orders,” Falana said.

Nigerian authorities should immediately release Sowore.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/11/12/with-arrest-prominent-journalist-nigerias-buhari-is-up-his-old-tricks/

It's rightly said that a leopard cannot change its spots...
Buhari till Buhari dies.
Goodluck Jonathan was insulted, hounded, harassed and even intimidated but no journalist was arrested or even refused bail under his regime
People like Sowore and Ibadan media outfit were flexing their muscle pen, now the chicken has come to roost.

Shame on all those supporting this evil administration...


Shame on those who brought this affliction and calamity on the country

Nigeria is now a joke among comity of nations

Buhari is running a strange type of voodoo govt.

A reincaneted "Idi Amin" on the Nigerian throne, but God is greater.

Worst leader ever

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari likes to call himself a “converted democrat.” At least that’s what he said during his 2015 presidential run, when he was attempting to re-brand himself as a reformer after a long career built on repression.

Yet dictatorial habits have proved hard to give up. When Buhari ran for president in 2015, it was with the promise of a Nigeria free from the political repression and silencing of dissent that were hallmarks of his tenure as head of state from 1983 to 1985.

Since his reelection earlier this year, matters have only gotten worse for journalists in Nigeria. Perhaps the most outrageous case involves Omoyele Sowore, a prominent journalist and political activist who remains in prison in Abuja, the Nigerian capital even after a judge last week ordered that he be released on bail.

He is being cited, among other things, for “cyberstalking” the president.A bizarre accusation, unless you consider reporting and political commentary a form of predatory behavior.It would seem that Buhari does.

Full blown tyranny in full swing.1983-85 repeating itself all over.A leopard never changes its skin.People were warned but parochial sentiments beclouded their sound sense of judgement.

Two wrongs can never make a right...... Tenets of democracy cannot be jettisoned in a democratic setting....
The Buhari and APC controlled executive should obey court order...

They didn't condemn the Saudis for killing Saudi critic Jamal Khassogi and dissolving his body in acid before pouring it down the drains in their embassy in Turkey.
They didn't condemn the witchhunt of journalist Julian Assange for exposing the evil deeds of the American military.
They didn't condemn the witch hunt of whistleblowers like Edward Snowden, Bradley Manning etc.

Who washington post epp?

Eteka1:
They didn't condemn the Saudis for killing Saudi critic Jamal Khassogi and dissolving his body in acid before pouring it down the drains in their embassy in Turkey.
They didn't condemn the witchhunt of journalist Julian Assange for exposing the evil deeds of the American military.
They didn't condemn the witch hunt of whistleblowers like Edward Snowden, Bradley Manning etc.

We should eschew the spirit of whataboutism. Buhari and the APC government should release Sowore and free the guy.

This is how Nigeria political class operate:
For a citizen to successfully criticize or demand anything from the governemnt the opposition must be in support for it to yield fruit. The Tinubus et.al left Sowore to his fate because they know it will affect their so called APC government.

If Sowore had carried out the revolution protest before the 2019 election, he would have had the massive support of the PDP who will try to use that as a politics to attack the FG. Since Sowore did it after the election, he lost the compassion of both friends and enemies alike.

Tinubu, Osinbajo and the SW caucus should just intercede to free this guy coz "Omo eni ko ni buru titi, ka le fun ekun paje"

Looking at Sowore's antecedents, I know Sowore means well. The points he raised for the revolution bears witness to this.

Still he made some great blunders.

1. He should not have rushed the plan of a revolution. The only planned revolution that could have changed things would be not less than a million man strong. Not some few youths easily dispersed by rubber bullets and tear gas.

2. He should not have contested for any political office. He didn't realize that you can't be a politician and also an activist trying to change the political terrain.

3. He should NEVER have met or associated with Nnamdi Kanu, the known fugitive and rabble rouser.

Those were Sowore's blunders.

Also, it's difficult to fight for Nigerians. They will insult you and persecute you. They have fallen in love with their tormentors.

Fighting their tormentors is like fighting them.

Just leave them in peace to soak garri with their pains and sufferings.

ovadozes:
It's rightly said that a leopard cannot change its spots...
Buhari till Buhari dies.
Goodluck Jonathan was insulted, hounded, harassed and even intimidated but no journalist was arrested or even refused bail under his regime
People like Sowore and Ibadan media outfit were flexing their muscle pen, now the chicken has come to roost.

You guys are just one-track minded. Once something is planted in your minds, even if its falsehood, it can never be uprooted again. You'll just keep repeating it like a mantra, when it makes sense and when it doesn't.

Go and find out. Has there ever been any government starting from 1999 till date that Sahara Reporters has not lambasted for failing the people?

Was it Sowore that voted Buhari in in 2015?

Why do you keep repeating the same worn out story anyway?

Can't you do the deductions yourself?

[s]

YorubaHero12:


We should eschew the spirit of whataboutism. Buhari and the APC government should release Sowore and free the guy.

This is how Nigeria political class operate:
For a citizen to successfully criticize or demand anything from the governemnt the opposition must be in support for it to yield fruit. The Tinubus et.al left Sowore to his fate because they know it will affect their so called APC government.

If Sowore had carried out the revolution protest before the 2019 election, he would have had the massive support of the PDP who will try to use that as a politics to attack the FG. Since Sowore did it after the election, he lost the compassion of both friends and enemies alike.

Tinubu, Osinbajo and the SW caucus should just intercede to free this guy coz "Omo eni ko ni buru titi, ka le fun ekun paje"

[/s]
off point

[s]

Eteka1:
They didn't condemn the Saudis for killing Saudi critic Jamal Khassogi and dissolving his body in acid before pouring it down the drains in their embassy in Turkey.
They didn't condemn the witchhunt of journalist Julian Assange for exposing the evil deeds of the American military.
They didn't condemn the witch hunt of whistleblowers like Edward Snowden, Bradley Manning etc.

[/s]

FrLukas:


Looking at Sowore's antecedents, I know Sowore means well. The points he raised for the revolution bears witness to this.

Still he made some great blunders.

1. He should not have rushed the plan of a revolution. The only planned revolution that could have changed things would be not less than a million man strong. Not some few youths easily dispersed by rubber bullets and tear gas.

2. He should not have contested for any political office. He didn't realize that you can't be a politician and also an activist trying to change the political terrain.

3. He should NEVER have met or associated with Nnamdi Kanu, the known fugitive and rabble rouser.

Those were Sowore's blunders.

Also, it's difficult to fight for Nigerians. They will insult you and persecute you. They have fallen in love with their tormentors.

Fighting their tormentors is like fighting them.

Just leave them in peace to soak garri with their pains and sufferings.

Another trash

Your so called blunders lies at the bolded

Sowore meant well but you FrLukas don't mean well for your country men cc your last statement.

I advice you to listen to the Gospel of Radio Biafra and be free with yourself

Hmm..

Chibuzoc:


Another trash

You probably misplaced your thinking cap. Look for it. Put it on. Then come back and comment.

FrLukas:


You probably misplaced your thinking cap. Look for it. Put it on. Then come back and comment.

You call the main points blunders lol since I knew that hypocrisy was a Nigerian I no longer worry myself. Keep pretending

In 2014 when Buhari travelled to Chatam house Uk and called himself 'a converted democrat', I laughed for 2 hours non-stop.

Chibuzoc:


Another trash

Your so called blunders lies at the bolded

Sowore meant well but you FrLukas don't mean well for your country men cc your last statement.

I advice you to listen to the Gospel of Radio Biafra and be free with yourself

If you read my earlier comments, you will realize that I'm not against secession. I'm not against Igbos having their republic. No group should be forced into a union they don't want to be in.

The only reason I oppose Kanu's agitation is his call for violence and his hate speech against the Yorubas. That I won't stand for. That was when I lost a little regard for Sowore. You don't consort with an animal that has sworn to kill your people.

You don't meet and eat with a fo.ol that spews hatred against your people every chance he got. That's not done.

Other than that, if I had the power I'd give Igbos their Biafra yesterday.

There is no justification for the continued detention of Omoyele Sowore. The DSS should immediately release him and let’s avoid this unnecessary international embarrassment.

either buhari or his family will be a victim of his precedence in office.

let him continue his madness thinking he will be there forever.

Na today, las las after outrage everyone go relax

Buharidufus the legendary didinrin

See i am stalking u

Dss come and carry me and my wahala to ya hq

Mofos

FrLukas:


You guys are just one-track minded. Once something is planted in your minds, even if its falsehood, it can never be uprooted again. You'll just keep repeating it like a mantra, when it makes sense and when it doesn't.

Go and find out. Has there ever been any government starting from 1999 till date that Sahara Reporters has not lambasted for failing the people?

Was it Sowore that voted Buhari in in 2015?

Why do you keep repeating the same worn out story anyway?

Can't you do the deductions yourself?

That Sowore and his Sahara reporters as well as every other newspaper of Lagos Ibadan axis played a very significant role in the enthronement of this govt is a fact and a fact is a fact even if it starts sounding like a cliché to you, people like me will continue to sound it so that history does not repeat itself, like my people say he who fetched an ant infested firewood should not complain when the lizard visits. I don't know what other deductions you want me to make.

Buhari is a terrorist

End of a country called Nigeria. All thanks to the Olodo general.

Leopard they say does not change his spots...

Na sii

Wiseandtrue:
It's shameful! To think that the one who is suppose to be a role model I'd the one publicly disobeying the rule of law!!!

He only obeys when it's in his favor!

May no one ever experience a Buhari again. Amen!!!

A big Amen!