#FreeMoeSexy: Is the Nigerian government veering into a dictatorship?

If we were to begin by asking why the Nigerian government have been so threatened by the brewing revolution from the #EndSARS protest, we might never conclude. For the longest part, Nigerians have considered the state a democracy; a democracy which gives them rights to express themselves freely. But recently, these rights, as well as the idea of democracy, have become a topic of debates. Does our government truly understand the tenets of democracy?

In this ‘democratic’ era, we have seen cases where people are detained for speaking out against bad governance, cases where people are arrested for amplifying their demands via social media and even cases where journalists are arrested for speaking out. In May 2020, All Progressive Congress, APC, youth coordinator, Idris Ayuba, was arrested for speaking against the government. His crime was asking the government for the palliative gotten from public, private and international supporters during the first wave of COVID-19.

In a similar vein, Nigerian Attorney and entrepreneur, Moe, is also suffering the ‘benefits’ of this democracy. In a Twitter hashtag, #FreeMoeSexy, Nigerians are calling for the release of her passport; after she was detained at the airport and her passport was seized. Her crime? Supporting a protest that called out bad governance and police brutality- the #EndSARS Protest.

Moe was a key figure in the protest with the support she gave arrested protesters. With her experience with the law, she successfully rounded up pro-bono lawyers to assist in the release of detained protesters.

However, feared for her life, Moe assured people that she has been released by the security operatives and that only her passport was taken from her.

Here are a few reactions from Twitter:

These actions targeting Nigerians who have positioned themselves as leaders and key players from the protest is quite alarming. The rights of Nigerians are not debatable and we must ensure that the government is held responsible for their actions even as they are subtly positioning Nigeria as an autocratic government.

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