Bakare Condemns Freezing of Accounts of #EndSARS Promoters, Says Laws Should Not be Used to Intimidate Young People for Embarking on Protests

The General Overseer, The Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), Pastor Tunde Bakare condemned the freezing of bank accounts of promoters of EndSARS by the Federal Government.

Bakare in an address to Nigerian youths said laws should not be used to intimidate young people simply because they protested against the government.

“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. While I admit that, under our 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 investigation, these provisions of our Law should not be used to intimidate Nigerian youth simply because they engaged in and promoted protests against the inactions of government.

“In addition, targeting and arresting citizens on trumped up charges, deploying court probes as a tool of intimidation, vii and generally eroding our fragile peace, are deeply worrisome signs of regression,” Bakare said.

“In the absence of any security breaches, citizens’ rights should never be trampled upon. In this season, the government ought to lift the morale of the Nigerian youth by all means and in every way possible. Furthermore, I have followed the conversation around the regulation of social media following the violence that  accompanied the EndSARS protests.

“I recall that my statements in this regard during an interview on Arise TV were misreported and misrepresented by those seeking occasion. Let me state, once again, that, although I have been a victim of misrepresentation and needless defamation of character on social media, I remain an advocate of freedom of expression. However, while I stand for the responsible use of social media, I will never subscribe to any attempt to deprive Nigerian youth of a space and context in which they have found a sense of self,” he said.