Twitter Ban: Fraternizing a Forlorn Fate – A Poem

The Nigerian government has indefinitely suspended Twitter two days after the social media giant removed a post by the nation’s president, Muhammadu Buhari.

The news of the ban was greeted with baseless banters and slight outrage with a touch of social media ‘cruise’. This has left many people wondering if this nation still the giant of Africa or the groaning ant of Africa.

I wonder if this generation is still a ‘woke’ generation or a joke. Are we not seeing the signs of a impending implosion or we just want to remain indifferent in the face of wordless violence from the people in power?

In my pain, I wrote this, hoping that we will wake up and tame the looming disaster.

Voices of reason are now in chains,
freedom floats in the pool of pains.
This social theatrics is beyond tragic,
banning Twitter is beyond comic.
Hell set this fire with fragrant smoke
it seems like a joke but will finally choke.
Evil men are seriously strategizing
simpletons are smiling and slumbering.
When injustice invades your oasis,
it comes with a consignment of crisis.
Hope shrinks when you have no voice,
justice sinks when you have no choice.
How far is too far for bleeding stars?
wounded soldiers with medals of scars,
how long will you sit still in your shackles?
how long will you accept tricky tackles?
Wake up before it’s too late,
stop fraternising this forlorn fate.
March against the forces of darkness,
speak up before they make you voiceless,
let the sounds of deliverance reverberate,
The time is now, let light and hope escalate
© Adeleke Adeite

What’s your take on this?

The Fist of Freedom

A people without a destination needs no direction,
they see every wave is a weapon of mass distraction.
When a country cannot maximize modernization,
cruel crimes will be its symbol of civilisation.

Soro soke” is our new national salutation,
Our society now craves socioeconomic sanitation.
Madmen in uniform requires total rehabilitation.
Arrogant ancestors in agbada should go into extinction.

When money becomes a man’s sole motivation,
timeless treasures become his timely temptation.
He uses brutality to build a faulty foundation
on which he constructs castles of corruption.

When rodents rule over a resourceful nation,
they ravage lives without fear of retribution.
In a bid to manipulate and win general elections;
they trade the fortune of the unborn generation.

It’s time to crush cocoons and form a coalition
to drive the change we desire with determination.
Police officers should enforce laws with caution.
Human rights should be given optimum attention.

Public office should not be a juicy junction
where the elite derive economic domination.
It’s time to speak up for our nation’s liberation
from the claws of cluelessness and corruption.

© Adeleke Adeite

Soro soke is a Yoruba slogan which means “Speak up”
Agbada is a four-piece flowing male attire mostly worn in southwestern Nigeria.

Candlelight’s Clarion Call #EndSARS

In the brewery of brutality
they were crushed and killed.
By custodians of criminality
innocent bloods were spilled.

Silenced by trigger happy cops,
yet their peace is loud and clear.
It roars and rages from rooftops
to fight police fierceness and fear.

In the sanctuary of our streets
a million-candle sparkles.
Timeless tales told with tweets
as every timeline twinkles.

Every candle screams in silence
“justice must prevail”.
Politicians can’t preen in pretence
while heroes travail.

The end of bad governance is here,
It’s happening right now.
The end of police brutality is here,
It’s happening right now!

#EndSARS protests in Nigeria took a different and emotional twist today, Friday October 16, as protesters all across the nation and in Diaspora holds a candle night in remembrance of all victims of Extra-judiciary killings and police brutality.

Recall that the protest started as a critical response to incessant police brutality and extrajudicial killings by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigerian Police Force which was disbanded by the Inspector-general of police, Mohammed Adamu who later, announced the establishment of Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) to replace SARS.

Feminist Coalition, a group of young Nigerian feminists formed in July 2020 with a mission to champion equality for women in Nigerian society has been at the forefront of the protests, mobilizing resources, raising awareness, coordination protests and so on.

The names of some of the victims published by Feminist coalition

The names of some of the victims published by Feminist coalition

Some videos and pictures from the candle night

Say a prayer for Nigeria. Africa deserves a living and thriving giant, not a corrupt and crawling ant.
© Adeleke Adeite All Rights Reserved

Brewery of Brutality?

A force meant to ensure security
has become a brewery of brutality.
They shoot at peaceful protesters
while criminals see them as jesters.

Where is intelligence in their tactics
if they treat sacred lives like statistics?
Concerned nationals yearn for reforms,
why attacked them like cankerworms?

Every innocent blood you’ve shed,
every law-abiding soul that has bled,
every baseless injury you’ve inflicted
scream that you should be evicted…

Image source: kamlinks

I hope the government will yield
before sanctuaries turn to battlefields.
If police are meant to maintain law,
then cut their claws and fix their flaws.


The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was a Nigerian Police Force unit charged with the responsibility of curbing and combating armed robbery but it was disbanded on October 11, 2020, following a widespread protest from Nigerians which took a global dimension.

Some of the many controversial activities that SARS officers were accused of include acts of torture, extortion, blackmail, extra judicial killings, framing and sexual abuse.

Image source: opera news

However, the ongoing protest seems to have revealed a lot of professional lapses in the conduct of the police force as pockets of sporadic shootings and reprisal attacks from the police were reported. Some peaceful protesters were reported dead.

Meanwhile, the peaceful protesters outlined their demands as follows:
1. Immediate release of all protesters arrested.
2.  Justice for all decreased victims of police brutality and adequate compensation of their families.
3. Set up independent body to oversee the investigation and prosecution of all reports of police misconduct.
4.  Psychological evaluation and training of all disbanded ex-SARS officers.
5. Increase in police salary so they can be adequately compensated for protecting lives and properties of citizens.

These are not too much to ask for, right? I pray God guides our leaders right and help them to do what’s right.
© Adeleke Adeite

Image source: wee tracker