CITIZENS COMPASS–Come Saturday, August 10, 2024, the organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protest have promised to occupy Alausa Secretariat the seat of power in Lagos to stage the Day 10 of the protest.
Recall that the #EndBadGovernance protest kicked of on August 1, 2024 across some parts of Nigeria although security operatives were fully on ground at the various venues of the protests.
On Friday, Revolutionnow_nig and TakeitbackNigeria disclosed on its Instagram page that the 10 days protest against hunger and bad governance in Nigeria would be rounded off in Alausa.
A flier announcing the Day 10 was captioned Days of rage protest.
Some of the protesters have flooded some WhatsApp platforms with messages to announce the Day 10.
One of the messages read, “TOMORROW, #LAGOS State will be CONVERGING to protest against BAD GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA at STATE SECRETARIAT, ALAUSA
“Join the protest to speak up against the HARDSHIP created by APC Tinubu Regime.
#RevolutionNow
#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria
#DaysOfRage.”
The protesters urged participants to converge at 7a.m.
Meanwhile, the #EndBadGovernance protesters on Friday, August 9, 2024, demanded for the sack of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, over the killings of some protesters.
This was disclosed at the Rights House, Allen Avenue, Ikeja in Lagos, during a candlelight and symposium in honour of the victims of the nationwide protests.
Citizens Compass reported that the Take It Back (TIB) Movement had announced three days of mourning which kicked off on Wednesday to be rounded off with a candle light and symposium on Friday.
Before the arrival of the mouners, about 300 policemen armed to the teeth were said to have invaded the Rights House on Friday but the undeterred protesters went ahead with the symposium which was held peacefully before a candle light procession to the Alausa Secretariat.
The protesters held a banner that read “Nigeria mourns,” “sack the IGP for the senseless killing of peaceful protesters,” and “President Tinubu meets all demands now”.
Addressing the mouners, the National leader of the Youth Rights Campaign, comrade “Hassan Taiwo popularly known as Soweto, said “We are demanding the immediate sack of the Inspector General of Police over his role in the killing of innocent and unarmed protesters.”
Speaking, Femi Adeyeye, National publicity secretary of TIB condemned the invasion of the Nigeria Police at the Rights House.
He said, “A situation where the Police invade us, go overnight to get court orders, we should not allow this to happen again and this largely happens because of the narrative that there are known leaders.
“We must be courageous enough to organise ourselves at events because we have one purpose.”
Former National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Malachy Ugwummadu,
has condemned the Police invasion of the Rights House.
In a statement, he said, “
“As early as 5a.m today Friday the 9th of August, 2024, a detachment of the Lagos State Police Command arrived at the premises of National Headquarters and Secretariat of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) along Adeniyi Jones Street, Ikeja Lagos and Cordoned it off.
“At about 7a.m they gained entrance into the premises conducting general surveillance and thereafter positioned themselves in a manner that established their undisclosed mission. It is believed that they had to disrupt the operations of the organization and the legitimate businesses of other occupants of the Rights House Comprising four floors and accommodating multiple businesses and corporate entities.
“About an hour later, a reinforcement of more detachments in their signature Hilux Vans and buses arrived totally about 30 (thirty) of them invaded the premises, this time forcing occupants of the premises to hurriedly close their offices for fear of the unknown. Needless to add that they were armed to the teeth as captured on camera.
“Virtually every activity within the premises became disrupted thereby forcing business owners, client and customers to cancel their appointments and engagements. This is clearly overreaching and uncalled for. Such overzealous conducts on the part of the Nigerian law enforcement agencies underscore lack of training and professionalism. Besides being unlawful, unconstitutional and against the principles of democracy in relation to citizens’ rights to liberty, expression, association and assembly under Sections 35, 39, and 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Altered). Such behaviours further exacerbate the fragile state of the Nation and infuriate the citizens of this Country who are currently going through the excruciating difficulties of survival and insecurity. We understand that the only program scheduled to hold today at the Rights House is a symposium organized by another civil society group known as the Education Right Campaign (ERC).In this regard, the Inspector General of Police is called upon to direct the immediate withdrawal of men and officers of the Lagos State Command of the Nigerian Police at the premises of the CDHR forthwith.
“Coming on the heels of the unlawful invasion of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Headquarters on Wednesday the 8th of August, 2024 signals Government’s intolerance to dissent and plurality of opinion which are cardinal signposts of liberal democracy. It’s an unfortunate decline to fascism which is unacceptable.
“In 2017, and several years after the CDHR had initiated and collaborated with the Lagos State Police Command to create the Human Rights Desks in all Commands and Police Stations across the State, we had a similar experience on the 18th of September, 2019. The same Lagos Police Command invaded the premises of the CDHR on the excuse that a group opposed to the Government of the day was going to hold a press conference there. I was then the National President of the CDHR and proceded straight to the then Commissioner of Police to know why he directed such unlawful operation. I reminded him that we had not only encouraged the creation of human rights desks in the Police Commands across the State but have trained men and officers of the Command before his arrival. Once he was unable to provide satisfactory reasons for that unlawful invasion our office, we mobilized about half a million comrades to their Police Headquarters, Ikeja and protested that invasion in the same manner that they disrupted their own operations, the very next day being the 19th of September, 2019.
“The Inspector General of Police and other Law Enforcement Agencies should be reminded that deploying such heavy presence of armed operatives against civil society organizations and workers tells so much about the quality of training the law enforcement agencies in Nigeria have received and reminds us of their inability to tackle insecurity and violent criminal activities in the Country. The CDHR will seriously mobilize against such intimidation and lawlessness if the Lagos State Police Command does not withdraw their men immediately.”
Condemning the invasion, the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), in a statement signed by Tola Oresanwo, Director, Administration and Programmes, said, “CACOL has condemned in strong terms the siege by the men of the Nigeria Police at the headquarters of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights popularly called Rights House.”
The Statement signed on behalf of its Chairman, Mr. Debo Adeniran, stated this, “Our attention has been drawn to the heavy presence of policemen at the Right House, It should be noted that the Education Rights Campaign applied to use the facility for a symposium today.
“The symposium which was supposed to be a peaceful assembly does not warrant the recent action by the police. Irrespective of what the Police may be thinking, they should not have invaded the building and start harassing innocent people going about their normal and legitimate businesses.
“CACOL therefore condemn in strongest terms the unlawful and arrogant manner in which the law enforcement agencies, especially the police, invade people‘s homes and offices of Nígerians and organisations, even without warrants like criminals.
“We want the officers and men of the Nigeria Police to know that we are in a democratized political dispensation and all militarized effontries ought to be checked and do away with.
“We would like to use this medium to call on the Commissioner of Police in the State to call his men to order and that they should vacate the facility as soon as possible.”
