Inside Nigeria
#EndSARS Aftermath: Protester DJ Switch Switches to Canada for Asylum
…As 900 Nigerians Sign Petition Against Her
A leading figure of the recent #EndSARS protests that paralysed the country, DJ Switch, may have relocated to Canada.
There were reports, Monday, that the disc jockey had sought and obtained asylum from her new country of residence having convinced the authorities that her life was in danger.
But in a dramatic twist, there were viral reports Tuesday that over 900 Nigerians have signed a petition asking the Canadian authorities to turn down the female DJ’s asylum request.
Speculations about the entertainer’s move was fueled by a recent video of the DJ allegedly testifying before a committee of the Canadian parliament which went viral.
The initiative to stop the female disc jockey is led by Femi Fako, who titled his campaign this way: “Refuse the Canadian Asylum application of Ms. Obianuju Udeh and her associates now!”
According to Mr. Fako, denying Ms. Udeh and her associates asylum in Canada would ensure they face the “terrorist charges” pressed against them in Nigeria.
Mr. Fako and his associates also accused the DJ and other #EndSARS promoters of “inciting public unrest and destruction of properties worth trillions of naira to fix.”
The anti-Switch campaign further reads: “A judicial panel of inquiry has since been instituted by the Lagos State Government to inquire into these unfortunate times, but Ms. UDEH and her cohorts, who are the principal parties to these crimes, choose to jet out of Nigeria, and apply for asylum on very bogus terms.
“Reject the asylum applications now! They must come back to Nigeria to face terrorist charges. It’s a must!”.
Without showing evidence, DJ Switch had claimed that at least 15 persons were shot dead on October 20, 20020, at Lekki toll gate in Lagos, when men in military uniform allegedly opened fire on unarmed #EndSARS protesters.
DJ Switch reportedly streamed the shooting live on social media, and claimed that the soldiers were sent to the protest ground on orders from above.
She reportedly made these claims during her interview with the Sub-committee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development of the Canadian parliament.
The DJ debunked the claim by the Nigerian Army that soldiers fired blank bullets into the air, insisting that soldiers actually opened fire on the protesters after creating a three-formation line.
The controversial disc jockey also claimed that she heard the first gunshot from behind and that the situation became chaotic instantly as people started running in different directions for dear life, protecting themselves from being hit by bullets until it was announced that protesters should lie on the floor.
Ms. Udeh continued: “I remembered the military came in first, they stopped shooting at some point and I walked up to one of them and I asked why he was shooting at us and he said he had express order from above, and I was coming too close to him and if I come too close, it would be considered an attack on him and he would have to shoot.
“It didn’t take another ten minutes, the shooting started again. I remember seeing seven people that have been shot down and we were telling people on my live Instagram to help us call an ambulance.”
“I have been on the move because they have been after my life. The first threat came in, I thought it was a joke, I sincerely thought it was a joke. Just as I was leaving, I got a phone call that I should leave the vicinity because there are military men at the hospital.
“I had to abandon my home, I moved from people’s home, and then just to get out of Nigeria. I am still travelling, and I am not done with my trip.”