Sowore’s Theatre of Distraction: Turning Legal Matters Into Street Drama
BY OLUFEMI SHAKA FROM OGUN STATE
There is no denying the pain, anger, or yearning for justice that many Nigerians feel when they hear about the incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu, nor is there any reason to doubt the right of citizens to express themselves within the bounds of the law. However, the recent call by Omoyele Sowore for a mass march to the Aso Rock Villa on 20th October 2025, under the auspices of the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow campaign, demands deeper scrutiny. What is being marketed as a people’s movement for justice increasingly looks like a political stage-craft designed to provoke confrontation, attract attention and rebrand its convener in the national spotlight.
In every democracy, protest offers a legitimate form of expression, but when it becomes a malicious performance, its moral power or undertone is lost. What Nigerians are witnessing is not a plea for justice but an orchestrated attempt to hijack genuine public sentiment for personal gratification. Sowore, whose political ambitions and past confrontations with the state are well-documented, appears to be taking undue advantage of the Nnamdi Kanu cause as a new stage to revive his dwindling political clout. A matter that should be handled with every iota of sensitivity and legality, has been repackaged into a populist campaign for headlines and social media traction; this is even as the Nnamdi Kanu case is still before the court.
It is worthy to note that legal processes are legitimate pathways to justice in any civil society, not mob pressure and political grandstanding. Turning judicial matters into street theatre undermines lawful processes and weaken public confidence in the very system that guarantees every citizen’s right. This even makes me wonder why the DSS and other relevant agencies are still stalling to arrest Sowore and his clique of protest instigators, seeking to inflame existing security tensions. Nigeria’s recent history teaches us that demonstrations built on emotion and defiance can quickly spiral into chaos, a risk no responsible citizen should ignore.
One would ask, who are the beneficiaries of such protest especially when it spiral into untoward situation? There are indeed Nigerians who genuinely seek fairness and constitutional order but these legitimate voices are being drowned by opportunists who see chaos as content. The slogan may sound patriotic just to weep public sentiment and participation, but the method which include the use of emotional mobilization, politicized messaging, and open confrontation with state authority, is designed for disruption, not reform. This campaign sidesteps critical legal realities about extradition, terrorism charges and national security implications. By simplifying a complex legal issue into a street slogan, deliberately feeds public angers while negating accountability.
Nigeria today faces weightier national challenges ranging from economic stabilization to security and industrial recovery. The current administration is grappling with structural reforms that require calm, focus and unity. For Sowore and his miniatures, to choose this moment to orchestrate mass confrontation, is not patriotism; it is provocation. It is only a strategy directed to incite tension and distract the nation’s attempt towards genuine progress. This is why many suspect Sowore to be running subversive cells funded by countries who do not wish Nigeria well.
It is crucial to remember at this juncture that true justice is not achieved through noise but through law. This is even as real reform comes from strengthening our institutions not intimidating them with threats of protest. The way forward lies in transparent legal processes, monitored trials, improved human oversight and sustained national dialogue; not crowd politics that risk plunging the country into avoidable turmoil. Similarly, Nigerians must learn from the uprising in other African countries and separate activism for anarchism, courage from chaos, and justice from publicity. A nation cannot be built through constant confrontation rather it must be strengthened through cooperation, reform and responsible civic action.
When history looks back on this moment, it will definitely not remember the loudest agitators but those who stood for peace, order and progress even in the face of provocation. The rule of law, not the rule of the street remains the surest guarantee of our collective freedom.
