One of the arrowheads of the #EndSARS protests, Oluwarinu Oduala, has described the recent clampdown by the Federal Government on #EndSARS campaigners as an unfair practice in a democracy.
Oduala, who is a member of the Lagos State Panel of Judicial Inquiry probing cases of police brutality and the alleged shooting of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate, said the recent action of the Central Bank of Nigeria was a betrayal of the supposed peace-making efforts of the government.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the apex bank obtained a court order to freeze Oduala’s account and those of 19 others till January 2021.
Tweeting on Monday night, the youth activist said though the government agreed that it was important to reform the Nigeria Police Force, it has refused to honour its promises and now targets the people who spoke up.
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She wrote, “How do you expect me as a part of the future of this country to still believe in a country who thinks they can through CBN freeze my account for no just cause? This is not fair.
“I am not afraid—I am only disappointed that this country will treat us this way. We are the soul of this nation and no nation exists without her people.”
Oduala said the funds in the frozen account included her personal money as well as donations from people who believed in the #EndSARS movement.
“The funds in question here also includes some of my personal hard-earned money of over N200,000 naira. These funds were earmarked for disbursement towards the medical bills of injured protesters,” she explained.
The activist said she took up the role of youth representative in the Lagos panel at the expense of her “education, personal life and family” but the government disappointed her by clamping down on herself and others.
She stated, “I did this to make peace. I did to ensure our young people understood that the only way to create a better and safer Nigeria is to do things lawfully. Why am I still being targeted for lending the government my goodwill?”
Oduala and her colleague, Temitope Majekodunmi, had boycotted the Saturday sitting of the panel in protest against the CBN action.
The chairman of the panel, retired Justice Doris Okuwobi, had suspended the sitting as it could not form a quorum in the absence of the two youth representatives.
