The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams, said there is nothing wrong in Omoyele Sowore’s planned protest tagged, “#RevolutionNow”.

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to release the former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate immediately for peace to reign.

Sowore who was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) over a planned revolutionary protest scheduled for Monday, August 5 nationwide. Security operatives stopped protesters in major cities.

Adams said the continued detention of the publisher of Sahara Reporters and convener of Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria, portends grave danger for Nigeria’s democracy.

He was arrested in Lagos on Saturday by DSS officials for an alleged plot to oust a democratically-elected government.

In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, Adams described the arrest as an abuse of his human right to freedom.

Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland noted that Nigerians are entitled to express their feelings in as much as the protests are peaceful and represent the feelings of Nigerians.

He condemned a situation whereby Nigerians are cowed and jailed over issues relating to their welfare,” the Yoruba leader said.

He Sowore is an activist and should be, “entitled to express his feelings and that of Nigerians in a democratic setting.”

He said the Buhari-led government should consider Sowore’s freedom as a panacea for peace.

“Unfortunately, many of the people at the corridors of power today were part of the protests against former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, but today the situation has changed.

Adams cautioned the Federal Government not to draw the country “backwards to those years of the military, where people’s rights to freedom and other fundamental human rights were alien to the military”

“Even in countries that have good institutions and good welfare policies, the citizens still organise a peaceful protest and the government will surely listen to them.

“As an activist and promoter of peace, I have engaged in various rallies and protests. On each occasion, we consulted widely, taking into considerations so many factors, including the rights of Nigerians to embark on protest, noting also that such rights should not translate to a violent or forceful protest.