Professor Pat Utomi has issued a defiant response to the Department of State Services (DSS) following legal proceedings initiated against him for forming a shadow government in opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to a report by Daily Sun, the DSS filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja after Utomi launched a shadow cabinet on May 5, an act seen as a direct challenge to the current government.
In a statement posted Friday on X (formerly Twitter), Utomi revealed that efforts are underway to assemble a legal defense team of 500 lawyers, expressing gratitude for the widespread messages of solidarity from Nigerians.
He described the situation as a tragic reflection of Nigeria’s democratic decline, stating, “This is how democracy died in Nigeria. Where citizens cannot organize themselves to ask questions of their agents.”
Utomi recalled his previous activism during the military regime of Sani Abacha, noting his involvement in convening a national conference on Nigeria’s future at St. Leo’s Catholic Church in Ikeja—an initiative that emerged from the Catholic Secretariat under the guidance of Fr. Matthew Kukah and Fr. George Ehusani.
Signaling his willingness to face arrest or worse, Utomi said he plans to arrive in Nigeria on June 12 and visit the residence of the late Chief Moshood Abiola, a symbol of Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle.
“My hands are primed for handcuffs, and if the Marcos-style Aquino treatment — a bullet at the airport — is preferred, I submit like a lamb led to slaughter,” he declared.
Utomi further criticized President Tinubu, drawing a stark contrast between Tinubu’s role during the Abacha era and his current position of power.
He concluded his message with philosophical reflections invoking historical figures of resistance and nonviolence, including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and St. Thomas More, declaring his unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom—even at the cost of his life.
“Freedom now. If we die, we die,” he affirmed.
