#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria: Nigerian TikToker, Abusalma Sent To Prison For Calling For Protests Finally Released, Warned Against Participation
It was learnt that he was warned by the Department of State Services (DSS) not to participate in the upcoming #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest, scheduled for August.
A popular TikToker, Junaidu Abdullahi aka Abusalma, has been released from prison custody days after his arrest.
It was learnt that he was warned by the Department of State Services (DSS) not to participate in the upcoming #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest, scheduled for August.
SaharaReporters reported on Sunday that Abusalma was remanded in prison custody after posting a viral video calling for mass protests over hardship in the country.
Abusalma was reportedly picked up by security agents last Wednesday and subsequently taken to Abuja, before he was arraigned in court and remanded in Kano prison.
However, Omoyele Sowore, convener of #RevolutionNow movement announced on Tuesday that Abusalma had been released.
According to Sowore in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Nigeria’s secret police, DSS released Abusalma after their lawyer visited him in prison.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), revealed that the DSS approached the judge in charge of his case in Kano to obtain an order to remove him from prison.
He said Abusalma was released shortly after.
However, Sowore said before releasing him, the DSS warned him against participating in the upcoming protest.
The human rights activist wrote: “The lawless @OfficialDSSNG has released Junaidu Abdullahi (Abusalma), the TikToker sent to Kano prison shortly after he publicised the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria on @tiktok_us.
“His release followed our lawyer’s visitation to him in prison. The @OfficialDSSNG quickly approached the judge in charge of his case in Kano to obtain an order to remove him from prison and released him shortly after. “He was threatened not to partake in the upcoming protest. #RevolutionNow #DaysOfRage.”
The TikToker had made a video, saying that any Islamic cleric who spoke against the planned protest should be pulled down from the pulpit.
In the video which he later deleted, he said: “Any religious leader who spoke against peaceful protest over hardship, then he is not part of those suffering.
“And whoever stops you from expressing your grievances to your leaders through peaceful protest as provided by the constitution, I swear he is not among those who can’t afford a sack of maize at N100,000.
“I personally bought a bag of fertilizer at N49,000. That was the price of a sack of maize in the past. As I speak to you now, I gathered that the price of fertilizer has increased.
“I am not calling for violence or destruction, but we will come out and protest in a lawful manner. It is the responsibility of government to deal with those that cause breakdown of law and order during the protest.
“The government has allowed terrorists to terrorise the people but they are trying to suppress a protest. Protest does not breed terrorism or banditry.
“If protest will lead to overthrow of the government, so be it. Any cleric who preaches against protest, pull him down from the pulpit… Pull him down!”
“Let’s protest peacefully in order to be heard. We are not calling on government to buy cars or planes or yacht for the masses, we are only after the food to eat,” Abusalma added in the viral video.
A couple of days after posting the video, he deleted it after being pressurised to do so and apologised to the Islamic clerics.
