The Serving Overseer of The Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), Pastor Tunde Bakare, has condemned the freezing of the accounts of promoters of EndSARS protests, saying laws should not be used to intimidate Nigerian youth simply because they engaged in and promoted protests against the inactions of government.
Bakare on Sunday, November 15, said the leaders of the nation “cannot afford to keep sinful silence when the youth of our nation are being oppressed by a Nigerian state that is supposed to protect them.”
The pastor advised that some decisions taken by the government need to be reversed soonest in order to avoid more protests in the country.
According to Pastor Bakare, “As our nation returns to the drawing board in the wake of the #EndSARS protests, I have observed with keen interest the policy actions and positions taken by national and subnational governments to address the broader issues of youth development in Nigeria.
“Truth be told, this season of our national life requires deep humility, sobriety, and deliberate thinking through, both by the government and the governed, in order to ensure that our plans, policies, and actions are weighed before they are implemented to avert the re-occurrence of our most recent crisis.
“In light of the foregoing, some of the actions recently taken by the government on the heels of the EndSARS protests may need to be reversed sooner rather than later in our collective best interest so that they do not trigger further protests.
“Among such policy actions is the freezing of the accounts of young Nigerians who reportedly sponsored the protests,” he said.
Bakare added that while he admits that under the country’s extant laws, banks may freeze an account upon an ex parte order granted to a law enforcement agency by a court of competent jurisdiction for the purpose of the investigation, but this Law should not be used to intimidate Nigerian youth simply because they engaged in and promoted protests against the inactions of government.
He also noted that “targeting and arresting citizens on trumped-up charges, deploying court probes as a tool of intimidation, and generally eroding our fragile peace, are deeply worrisome signs of regression.”
It will be recalled that some days ago, the Central Bank of Nigeria had sought an ex parte order to freeze the account of 20 members of the EndSARS movement.
