Festus Keyamo reacts as police arrest videographer behind “End SARS” campaign

 

Festus Keyamo, Minister of State, Labour and Employment, has urged the police to release Nicholas Makolomi, who captured the video that triggered the “End SARS” campaign at the weekend.

 

The Anti-Robbery Squad came under attack on Saturday after the video released by Nicholas showed how a boy arrested in the Ughelli area of Delta State fell from the car conveying them to an undisclosed location.

 

Some other videos which surfaced online also alleged that a SARs operative shot a young man in front of a hotel in the Ughelli area of Delta State.

 

The videos sparked tension within and outside the state and also led to an attack on an off-duty SARS operative, Sergeant Ohwovwiogor Fidelis at the Ughelli central garage axis.

However, the videographer, Prince Nicholas Makolomi, was arrested on Monday at an undisclosed location in Ughelli.

 

Nicholas admitted that he captured the moment the boy (Joshua Ambrose) arrested jumped from the Police vehicle but denied being the mastermind of other videos showing policemen shooting at unarmed civilians in the false representation of the Ughelli incident.

 

He said: “After the boy (Joshua Ambrose) was arrested on that Saturday, he was kept at the passenger’s side of the car behind the front seat.

 

“While we were driving in our car behind the police vehicle and that of the boy, suddenly the boy jumped from the car and fell on the roadside after which we chased after the police car while making the video.”

 

Reacting to the arrest on Wednesday morning, Festus Keyamo said Nicholas did a patriotic duty as a citizen and should be released.

 

He said: “I urge the Police to release this gentleman and drop all charges against him. His wrong judgment of the victim’s state nonetheless, by recording the incident and releasing it, he did a patriotic duty as a citizen. This is purely a case of leaving the substance and chasing shadows.”