Pascal Oparada
#EndSARS advocate, Segun Awosonya, known by his Twitter handle as Segalink, has been accused of sabotaging the cause after he tweeted that protesters should apply caution so as not to endanger their lives and that of others.
“None of our parents died on the account of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s Advocacy. He proved himself a leader and took responsibility. He plunged no one into harm’s way. Those he fought for abused him in the end. His message/truth reverberates even till tomorrow,” he tweeted.
His tweets drew a backlash from people who accused him of selling out and sitting on the fence.
Many said he buckled under the government’s pressure and refused to follow the campaign with the same enthusiasm he applied in the past.
One Twitter user said Sega called the protests an insurrection and said President Muhammadu Buhari used
the same words in his address.
“Can’t ever forget Sega calling peaceful protests an Insurrection then the President re-iterating how it was an insurrection.
It was the craziest thing I have ever seen in my entire life as a Nigerian,” Leo Da Silva said on Twitter.
Another said Sega is only calling for calm and caution as they protest.
“I can understand Sega’s point of view. Sega believes that our agitations can be aired without putting our lives on the line.
Sega believes that with consistency and not violence, our dreams of a better Nigeria can be achieved.
#EndSARSMemorial.”
Segun Awosanya created the #EndSARS hashtag in 2015 against the heavy-handedness of a now-disbanded notorious police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
The hashtag later metamorphosed into street protests in October last year which brought the country to a standstill. It drew global attention and forced the Nigerian government to dismantle the SARS unit.
