…Submit your details’ — IGP Egbetokun orders organisers
..Adegboruwa Writes IGP, DSS, Requests Protection For Planned Protests
…Stop promoting imaginary protest – PDP chieftain, Olayinka to Nigerian govt
Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police (IGP), says the police have “credible intelligence” that foreign mercenaries are involved in the planned nationwide protest.
Egbetokun spoke in Abuja on Friday at a press conference.
In the past few days, there have been reports of a youth-led planned nationwide protest over the economic hardship in the country.
The planned protest has been slated to commence on August 1.
The federal and state governments, including President Bola Tinubu, have appealed to the youths to shelve the planned protest.
Religious and traditional institutions have equally called for the cancellation of the planned demonstration.
The military and the Department of State Services (DSS) said there are indications that the protest would be hijacked to perpetuate violence.
Egbetokun cautioned that a peaceful protest in the country at the moment may be “ill-timed”.
“We note those who have spoken out against any form of protest at this critical juncture, fearing enemies of our country may be manipulating the process,” the IGP said.
“We confirm that their fears are genuine, as we have credible intelligence of foreign mercenaries’ involvement in this planned protest.
“The Nigeria Police urge Nigerians to exercise caution and think twice before joining any protest group while we alert citizens to the sinister motive of certain groups planning to wreak havoc.
“It has become clear that even a peaceful protest at this time may be ill-timed.
“We issue a strong warning to clandestine groups planning to destabilise the country and hoodlums seeking to exploit the protest for their criminal agenda.”
Egbetokun said the police acknowledged the constitutional right of Nigerians to peaceful assembly, adding that the police will provide security cover during the protest.
“To facilitate an incident-free protest, they (organisers of protest) should please provide the following information: one, proposed protest route and assembly point; two, expected duration of protest; three, names and contact details of protest leaders and organisers; four, measures to prevent hijacking by criminal elements, including key identifiers of possible isolation of potential troublemakers,” he said.
The IGP said the police are ready to work with all Nigerians to promote “peaceful expression and maintain public order”.
Stop promoting imaginary protest – PDP chieftain, Olayinka to Nigerian govt
A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Lere Olayinka has urged the federal and state governments to stop being disturbed by what he termed as an “imaginary” nationwide protest.
Olayinka, former Chief Press Secretary to the erstwhile Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose in a statement on Friday, urged the government to remain focused in discharging its duty, insisting that “no one is planning any protest.”
Salient Times reports that Nigerian youths who are perturbed by the unfortunate economic reality, have vowed to stage protests across the country starting from August 1 to 10.
However, President Bola Tinubu and the 36 state governors are working tirelessly to ensure that the protest does not hold.
The president had urged the intending protesters to give him more time, stating that his administration is committed to addressing hardship and other issues in the country.
But Olayinka, a PDP House of Representatives candidate in the last general election opined that “protests are not planned and held by giving one month’s notice,” adding that “it is either the government is distracting itself on top nothing or the noise about the protest is being used to distract Nigerians.”
According to him, “Protests are spontaneous reactions to issues, not what is planned for months. The one in Kenya was a spontaneous reaction to the passage of the bill to impose more taxes on the people. It did not start months after the bill had been passed, it started immediately.
“Therefore, the government and its agencies should stop promoting and advertising an imaginary protest that I am not sure anyone is planning. Or how many Nigerians were aware of any protest before the government started speaking about it”?
Adegboruwa Writes IGP, DSS, Requests Protection For Planned Protest
A human rights activist Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) has notified security agencies, requesting protection over planned public meetings, rallies, and processions by a non-governmental body, the Take It Back Movement, its members, some patriotic Nigerians and groups.
In the letter dated Friday, July 26, 2024, the senior advocate writing as solicitor to the Take It Back Movement notified the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) that the planned rallies would commence from August 1 to 10, 2024, or any time thereafter.
He said the rallies would be held at the Eagle Square in Abuja and other public spaces in the capital cities of the 36 states and the headquarters of the 774 local government councils.
Adegboruwa while reiterating the role of the security agencies during such rallies and protests, urged the leadership of the security agencies to make available the details of any of their officers or teams that will be assigned to cover the said meetings/rallies/processions to harmonise plans and strategies for the same.
Security Agencies Issue Warnings
The request comes against the background of warnings from security agencies and groups over the planned protest. On Thursday, the Department of State Services (DSS) cautioned against the demonstrations, saying it had identified the sponsors.
While the DSS agreed on the citizens’ right to protest, it claimed that some elements planned to hijack it.
“The plotters desire to use the intended violent outcome to smear the federal and sub-national governments; make them unpopular and pit them against the masses,” it said in a statement by its spokesman Peter Afunanya. “The long-term objective is to achieve a regime change, especially at the Centre.”
On the same day, the Minister of the FCT Nyesom Wike maintained that the capital territory was not available for protest just as the police deployed 4,200 personnel ahead of the demonstrations.
“The CP vows to resist all forms of violent protest and lawlessness, as the police will not be stampeded into allowing the destruction of public and private properties or loss of lives,” the FCT Police Command spokesperson Josephine Adeh said on Friday.
Last-Gasp Moves
Calls for the demonstration tagged #EndBadGovernance protest had garnered momentum on social media in the wake of the high cost of living in Nigeria triggered by the twin policies of fuel subsidy removal and the floating of the naira.
Inflation figures have reached 34 percent according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), pushing the cost of essential commodities beyond the reach of millions of Nigerians.
President Bola Tinubu has been meeting with stakeholders including traditional rulers as part of last-gasp efforts to prevent the protest. He is calling on the organisers to be patient with his government as it works to address Nigeria’s challenges, assuring that reforms by his administration will pay off in the long run
