By Gabriel Olawale

A Non-Governmental Organisation, the Global Forum for Human Rights and Sustainable Development, has raised the alarm over death threats made to an EndSARS protester, Banjo Olalekan, who narrated how some suspected political thugs killed his sister and are currently after his life.

In a statement by the Director of Communications of the group, Omobomi Odunitan, said the 42 year-old Banjo alleged political persecution by some security agents because of his involvement in the 2020 protests aiming to end alleged police brutality across the country.

Narrating his ordeal in the state, Banjo said: “My father was among those that supported boys in our community to join the #EndSARS protest in Lagos. Truly, the situation was bad as Nigerian policemen were killing at random young men with potentials for brighter future.”

Justifying Olalekan’s fear and reason for seeking protection in the Republic of Ireland was the post-EndSARS protests account that a high number of security agents were killed by the hoodlums who hijacked the peaceful protests midway.

Speaking further, Olalekan said: “When the protest got to a stage, some youths in the area who didn’t support our action and persons suspected to be politicians’ thugs started threatening my life and that of my family members. They identified my dad after the protest had been suppressed as one of the sponsors from our area. They invaded our family house and beat my dad to death in the process. My dad, Mr. Banjo Kolawole, was 77 years old.

“When this happened, I made an attempt to run away but I was captured and kidnapped on October 21, 2020. I managed to escape from my captors after one week and ran away to a friend’s place. I then discovered that my wife and children also have left to a different place. I couldn’t locate them in time.

“All the while I was hiding in a friend’s house. This friend it was who assisted me to secure travel documents with some amount of cash which I used to travel out of Nigeria. I landed in Dublin where I have been hibernating since. Most unfortunate is the killing of my younger sister, Yemisi Adepoju after I had ran away from Nigeria. She was killed by the same political thugs this year, precisely on 5th of October 2021.”

Asked why he’s still seeking to be exiled one year after the protest, Olalekan said: “I left because I didn’t feel safe. Even now, I feel very much unsafe because I have the feeling that those who killed my father and sister wouldn’t spare me and my family if they set eyes on us.”