Revolution Now: Journalist Arrested By DSS For Supporting Sowore On Facebook

A former Editor at Daily Trust Newspaper, Mr. Ibrahim Dan Halilu, has been arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, Igbere TV has learnt.

Igbere learned that Halilu, ex politics editor for the news outfit, was picked in Kaduna State on Monday over a Facebook post supporting the activities of the #RevolutionNow movement.

The journalist is not the first to be arrested by the secret police over the movement. Convener of the group and publisher, SaharaReporters, Omoleye Soworu, was picked by the DSS on Saturday at his Lagos residence, Igbere TV had reported.

Similarly, two journalists with the news outfit (Victor Ogungbenro and Tosin Olajuwon) were picked at different locations in Lagos and Ondo States during today's #RevolutionNow protest, with the Lagos office of SaharaReporters under heavy surveillance.

Operatives of DSS, Igbere TV gathered, stormed Mr. Halilu’s residence in Kaduna State, at about 2am Monday night and whisked him away in a ‘commando’ style.

A quick look at Halilu’s Facebook timeline by Igbere TV, showed that he endorsed and supported the activities of #RevolutionNow led by Omoyele Sowore, in a lengthy post.

The post reads: “I feel I should share because it resonates with me. If resonates with you too, please share until all oppressed people of Nigeria get the message and domesticate it. This is #Not the Nigeria of My Dream.

“Somebody asked me why we need a revolution now, this was my reply: The aim of the revolution is to challenge the uncommon hardship why we have 16m children on the street; challenge why we have become the poverty capital of the world; challenge why we have 20 persons with corrupt cases as federal legislators and would-be Ministers.

“We need to restructure the country. We need to put an end to trillions spent on electricity while we live in darkness and pay estimated bill for electricity and meters. Why do we have huge oil reserves but our refineries are dead and we are re-importing what we exported as crude oil? It is time to ask why those in government travel abroad for medical care when they have left our hospitals dilapidated; why they send their children to school abroad when our children learn under mango trees.

“We are revolting against the continuing killings that have left 20,000 Nigerians dead while those in office move around under state paid security and do nothing. We are revolting against the because over a thousand Nigerians soldiers killed by Boko Haram have been secretly buried without identifiable graves, dignity or honour. $16m was purportedly spent on mosquito nets but our children die daily from malaria. $320m Abacha loot was purportedly distributed to the poor. Where is the verifiable list? N500bn was purportedly distributed to the poor as so-called Trader-moni. Where is the verifiable list?

“…With divine grace, God gave us about 40 natural resources spread across the length and breadth of the country. No country on mother earth is as blessed! The persons destroying Nigeria in and out of government are less than 10,000. For how long will the 201 million of us be silent? Forever? It will be sheer stupidity and very unfair of us to be silent and bequeath today’s sorry Nigeria to our children. For how long shall we continue to endure bad leadership from certificate forgers, election riggers, ritualists and yahoo politicians, hoping upon hope for a better tomorrow when things get worse by the day? We are too rich to be poor. We are too blessed to be a mockery of the world!!! No!!!”.

Friends of the journalist have taken to social media to react to the development, with many many criticizing the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration and the DSS.