Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, on Monday cautioned rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, against using street protests to influence judicial proceedings, saying matters of justice are resolved in courtrooms, not through public agitation.
Reacting to #FreeNnamdiKanu protest in Abuja led by Sowore, Dare, in a post on his verified X handle, @SundayDareSD, described such demonstrations as “counterproductive” and inimical to the rule of law.
He stated: “Protests, threats, attempts at mob actions, and inflammatory rhetoric do not aid the judicial process. Instead, they hinder it, creating unnecessary tension and undermining the rule of law”.
The presidential media aide said Sowore’s “pastime of PR agitation and courting of public sympathy to interfere with judicial proceedings is outdated and counterproductive in a modern democracy,” stressing that such actions would not be tolerated in any law-abiding society.
“You cannot employ protest and civil unrest to demand the release of someone accused of terrorism and whose case is still in court. Not even in America,” Dare said.
He clarified that the case of leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, long predates President Bola Tinubu’s administration and remains strictly under judicial consideration. According to him: “This administration respects the independence of the courts and will not interfere in ongoing legal proceedings.”
While reaffirming the President’s commitment to justice and constitutional order, Dare warned that freedom and democracy “have their limits,” adding that “testing these limits will invite the full application of the laws as clearly stated.
“The judiciary should be let alone to do its work without interference. President Tinubu remains committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring justice is served fairly and transparently”, he said.
Deji Elumoye
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