Forgotten heroes of June 12
It was an election that has been adjudged to be the freest and fairest ever conducted in the country. It was one that broke barriers, as Nigerians, without giving a hoot about ethnicity, religion or language voted overwhelmingly for Abiola to end the protracted, despotic and overbearing military rule. This was why there was so much anger when the election was annulled, the military continued to be in power and the presumed winner jailed for trying to claim his mandate.
But, a thousand others who sacrificed their lives to fight for the restoration of democracy still largely remain unsung. These are the unsung heroes of democracy; Nigerians know little or nothing about them. Many of them are only mentioned in passing and hardly celebrated as heroes of democracy. Among them are:The Nigerian press faced its most turbulent years to date between 1993 and 1998, a span that has been described as the darkest period of its 160-year history.
Ubani’s activities made him a thorn in the flesh of the military. In February 1994, his house and office were raided by security agents, and a report on women and children in Nigerian prisons which he had co-authored was confiscated. He went on the run but was arrested and imprisoned in 1995, after which his case was taken up by Amnesty International.
Aka-Bashorun was one of those who challenged successive military regimes in the country. He was one of the leading lawyers who defended Abiola during his “treason” trial, the aftermath of his ‘Epetedo Declaration.’
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