Crisis seems in the offing as Organisers of the #FearlessOctober1protests insist on using the Eagle Square, venue of the Independence Day celebrations for their demonstrations.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Crisis seems in the offing as Organisers of the #FearlessOctober1protests insist on using the Eagle Square, venue of the Independence Day celebrations for their demonstrations.
In addition, the organisers of the protest have declared that not even the police, Department of State Services, and the military would stop them from embarking on the demonstration as planned.
The organisers have also written to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to request security during the demonstration, noting that protest is a fundamental right they would not submit to any state agent.
The recent development comes on the heels of the police in Lagos inviting several members of the #EndBadGovernance Movement ahead of the October 1 nationwide march against hunger, petrol price hikes, and the continuous detention Adaramoye Michael Lenin and dozens of others who participated in the August 1-10 demonstration.
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Not yielding an inch away from the exercise, the National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, and Director of Mobilisation of the group, Damilare Adenola, said mobilisation efforts had begun, adding that Nigerians were mobilising from different parts of the country for the protest.
“We have also written to the Inspector General of Police, informing him of our protest locations and reminding him of the constitutional duty of the police to protect protesters as opposed to the repression we have witnessed in times past,” said Sanyaolu.
The group explained that the FCT protest would be held at the Eagle Square, the same venue of the Independence Day parade, while the Lagos protest would take place at the Ikeja Under Bridge.
The organisers noted that the protest would be across the country, adding that only ‘immediate reversal of fuel subsidy removal’ would dissuade them from the demonstration.
The IG, Egbetokun, had directed the Force zonal and state commands to deploy men from Monday to strategic locations until a stand-down order was given.
Egbetokun also directed that the policemen should dress in camouflage with hats, even as he asked the Assistant Inspectors General of Police and Commissioners of Police to engage and discourage available civil society groups and individuals from participating in the protest.
However, a leader of the protest, Omoyele Sowore, said the youth were not afraid of the police, adding that the protest would hold as planned.
Sowore explained that the reported fear of some people about the possibility of violence during the protest was not true.
“Nobody has expressed to us or anyone that they’re afraid because they know we are not violent protesters; maybe you should ask that of the government,” he added.
Lawyer to the organisers, Deji Adeyanju, said it was wrong for the police to summon protesters who were exercising their right.
“The police do not have the right to summon protesters like they are currently doing. It is the responsibility of the police to protect the protesters anytime they embark on a demonstration. The protesters are not political parties; security agencies should not harass them,” he stated.
The counsel noted that the crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protesters in August was to discourage people from participating in further demonstrations in the country.
He, however, said the arrest and detention of some of the demonstrators would not deter youths from joining the #FearlessOctober1 protest.
Adeyanju said, “The government plans to discourage people from coming out to protest; that is why they are still detaining our comrades who participated in the August protest. But that will not dampen the morale of the youths on the #FearlessOctober protest.”