“I’m Ready for DSS Handcuffs — Death Is No Big Deal,” Says Utomi in Bold Declaration
Prominent political economist Professor Pat Utomi has responded defiantly to legal action initiated against him by Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS), revealing that a group of sympathisers are mobilising up to 500 lawyers to defend him.
The DSS filed a suit against Utomi on May 14, days after he announced the formation of the Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government, a political platform designed to provide credible opposition to the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The shadow government, launched on May 5, includes a cabinet of notable figures such as human rights advocate Dele Farotimi, who oversees the ombudsman and good governance portfolio. According to Utomi, the coalition is a “national emergency response” aimed at scrutinising federal policies and offering alternative solutions—a concept modelled after traditional shadow cabinets in parliamentary democracies.
However, the initiative has sparked backlash from the federal government and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), prompting what Utomi has called a “shadowy business of chasing shadows.”
Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday, Utomi expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from across the country. “I am heartened by messages of solidarity… It’s energising some want to put together 500 lawyers to defend me against the DSS,” he wrote.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s democratic journey, Utomi recalled convening a pro-democracy conference during the Abacha regime, held at St. Leo’s in Ikeja. That event, he said, questioned whether democracy was dying in Nigeria. “The answer is in the affirmative,” he wrote. “This is how democracy died in Nigeria—where citizens cannot organise themselves to ask questions of their agents.”
In a chilling yet resolute tone, Utomi declared he would not go into hiding despite the legal threats. “Where am I? Will arrive on June 12 and head to Abiola’s residence. My hands are primed for handcuffs,” he stated. Drawing parallels with Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino, who was assassinated upon return to his homeland, Utomi added, “If the Aquino treatment from Marcos—bullet at the airport—is preferred, I submit willing like a lamb led to slaughter.”
He concluded with a deeply personal reflection, invoking the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and St. Thomas More. “Death is no big deal. Four of my friends are in the morgue,” he wrote. “What is certain is that Tinubu will not escape that same fate… I am emboldened to chant: Freedom now. If we die, we die.”
