In a virtual meeting held on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun proposed confined protests at identified locations for the planned nationwide #EndBadGovernance demonstrations scheduled for August.
The IGP advised against street rallies, citing concerns about potential violence.
However, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), a lawyer representing the Take It Back Movement, one of the groups organizing the protests, rejected the IGP’s proposal. Adegboruwa, along with human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), other lawyers, and civil society organizations, attended the virtual meeting.
The planned protests, which have gained traction on social media, are a response to the economic hardship faced by Nigerians due to the government’s policies of petrol subsidy removal and forex window unification. Despite warnings from security agencies and appeals from politicians, the organizers remain determined to proceed with the demonstrations.
During the meeting, the IGP highlighted the risk of street processions being hijacked by fifth columnists and enemies of the state. He proposed confining peaceful protesters to particular locations to ensure their safety. Adegboruwa, however, insisted that there would be street processions before protesters converged at the designated locations.
The IGP assured that the police would provide security cover for protesters at the confined locations sent to the Force Headquarters. He added that if Commissioners of Police in various states have sufficient manpower, they could deploy their men to guard protesters during street processions.
In this article:
