Activist and journalist Omoyele Sowore has reacted sharply to the death of Arise News anchor Sommie Maduagwu, describing it as another tragic proof of Nigeria’s systemic collapse. Speaking Tto the press in Abuja on Monday, Sowore said Maduagwu was a victim not of mere circumstance but of a failed state.
He accused Nigerian authorities of wasting resources on frivolous cases while neglecting citizens’ lives. According to him, the Department of State Services (DSS) filed charges against him without any offense committed, presenting nothing more than a screenshot as “evidence.” He argued that the DSS’s duty is to protect the President, not to police free speech.
Reacting to Maduagwu’s death, Sowore said, “I knew even without being told that she’s a victim of Nigeria. Yes, Nigeria happened to her. Reports said the robbers raided every flat in her building, the police arrived late, and when she begged to be taken to the hospital, they said there was no fuel in their car. That’s how she died. Her tragedy is just symptomatic of the bigger Nigerian problem.”
WATCH FULL ORIGINAL VIDEO OF SOWORE’S SPEECH ON SYMFONI TV
He expressed condolences to her family but stressed that her case only gained attention because she belonged to the elite class. “As we are speaking, people are being killed in Kwara, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Benue without help from police or military. Nigerians have been abandoned by their leaders,” he said.
Sowore accused the government of caring more about prosecuting its critics than tackling the insecurity ravaging the country. He maintained that those deserving prosecution are terrorists, kidnappers, and bandits — not citizens exercising freedom of speech.
The activist also reminded President Bola Tinubu of his own history during the Occupy Nigeria protests, when demonstrators openly mocked then-President Goodluck Jonathan without being arrested. “Jonathan never prosecuted us. Why should Tinubu be different?” he asked.
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Sowore called on the President to immediately withdraw the “funny charges” brought against him, warning that history would remember leaders by how they treated dissenters. He added that if the case proceeds, he would demand Tinubu appear in court as his witness.
“Even under the military, we confronted rulers who seized power. So how much more so-called civilians who claim they were elected under a constitution they often quote?” he declared
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